Germany’s far-right AfD wins first regional election, exit polls show

AfD took former East German state Thuringia, was neck-and-neck with conservative CDU for first place in Saxony, which also held election

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People sit near a sign that reads “No to Nazis” on the day of the Thuringia state election in Erfurt, Germany on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:32pm, 1 Sep 2024Updated: 6:18am, 2 Sep 2024

Germany’s far-right AfD won a landmark first regional vote on Sunday in the former East German state of Thuringia, exit polls showed, in a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of national elections in 2025.

The AfD (Alternative fur Deutschland) took between 30.5 and 33.5 per cent of the vote in Thuringia, according to exit polls, with the conservative CDU in second place at around 24.5 per cent.

The AfD was also neck-and-neck with the CDU for first place in the neighbouring state of Saxony, which also held a regional election on Sunday, the polls showed.

AfD member Bjorn Hocke speaks to the media after first exit polls in the Thuringia state elections, in Erfurt, Germany on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

The AfD is unlikely to come to power in either state because other parties have ruled out working with the far-right to form a government.

But the result is still a political earthquake as it would represent the first time in Germany’s post-World War 2 history that a far-right party has won a state election.

If confirmed, it would also be a huge blow for Scholz’s Social Democrats and the other parties in his fractious coalition government, the Greens and the liberal FDP.

The SPD looked to have scored between 6.5 and 7 per cent in Thuringia, and between 7.5 and 8.5 per cent in Saxony.