In a significant political shift, the German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has secured its first-ever victory in a state election.
According to preliminary results released on September 1 night, the party garnered 32.8 per cent of the vote in East Germany’s state of Thuringia, becoming the strongest force in the state parliament. The AfD’s triumph comes amidst growing discontent with the current federal government, a coalition of the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party, Xinhua news agency reported.
Trailing behind the AfD in Thuringia was the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 23.6 per cent of the vote. However, the AfD’s path to forming a government is difficult.
Other major parties have ruled out any possibility of collaboration with AfD. The AfD demonstrated similar strength in Saxony, where elections were also held on September 1
