Alternative for Germany makes history with Thuringia election win

Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the first far-right political party to win a regional election since World War II. 

In the eastern German state of Thuringia, AfD romped home with 32.8 percent of ballots cast, according to preliminary results. That respresents an increase of 9.4 percentage points from the last election in 2019. Turnout rose to 73.6 percent. 

The campaign had been closely watched as the AfD in Thuringia is headed up by the controversial figure of Björn Höcke. He is one of the most incendiary men in German politics due to his close association with far-right extremists and multiple convictions for using Nazi-era slogans in campaign rallies, something which is prohibited under German law and saw Höcke fined around $14,400 by a court in May.

Despite AfD winning the most votes, it is unlikely that the party will be able to come to power in the state, with other parties refusing to join a coalition.

In the neighboring state of Saxony, the AfD took 30.6 percent of votes, narrowly behind the center-right conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 31.9 percent.

Blow for Scholz's coalition

Voters turned away from parties that make up the ruling national coalition headed up by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democrats (FDP). 

The FDP did not pass the 5 percent threshold to enter the state legislature in either Thuringia or Saxony. The Greens have been kicked out of the parliament in Thuringia but cling on in Saxony with 5.1 percent. Scholz's SPD lost ground in Thuringia, dropping two points to 6.1 percent, and in Saxony, it remained around the same as the 2019 result at 7.3 percent.

"The results for the AfD in Saxony and Thuringia are worrying," Scholz told the media on Sunday night. "Our country cannot and must not get used to this. The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country's reputation."

There will be a national election in September 2025, with the Chancellor's job up for grabs. With just over a year to go, the "traffic light coalition" is looking fragile, and results like those in Saxony and Thuringia make it seem all the more brittle.

The mainstream parties in Germany are not only under pressure from the far right. This election also saw a swing towards a new rising party in Germany, the Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). It picked up 15.8 percent of the votes in Thuringia and 11.8 percent in Saxony. 

While the mainstream parties have ruled out working with the AfD, BSW's co-chair in Thuringia, Steffen Schütz, told CGTN the party is open to dialogue. Both parties share an anti-immigration stance and are reticent about support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

"I'm of the impression that we will be able to speak to one another and establish where compromises can be found," he said. "What is needed is a stable majority. We need to talk but we must also preserve what our voters voted for."

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday