The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has achieved a historic result in the regional elections held this Sunday in the German state of Thuringia, emerging as the leading party with 33.4% of the vote, according to projections.

AfD has clearly surpassed the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which secured 23.8% in Thuringia. However, the CDU managed to maintain its lead in the Saxony elections held on the same day, with 31.5% of the vote, slightly ahead of AfD at 31.4%, according to provisional projections.

Infratest Dimap’s study for ARD public television shows the CDU’s result in Thuringia falling below its 2019 performance of 32.1%, while AfD has risen from 27.5% in 2019.

Trailing behind in both states is the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht – For Reason and Justice (BSW), a party with a platform ranging from communist economic policies to anti-immigration rhetoric similar to AfD. In Saxony, BSW would achieve 11.5% of the vote, while in Thuringia it would secure 15.5%, pending official results.

In Saxony, the fourth position goes to the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 7.6%, followed by the Greens at 5.1%, more than three points lower than five years ago. The Left Party (4.3%) would miss out on a seat in the regional parliament.

In Thuringia, the fourth place is held by the Left Party with 11.5% of the vote, a significant drop from the 31% it achieved in 2019 when it was the leading party. The SPD would secure 6% (down from 8.2% in 2019), and the Greens would not gain representation with 3.4%, falling below the 5% threshold.

If confirmed, the CDU would achieve its worst historical result in Saxony since 1990, although its government is unlikely to be at risk. The CDU has been in power since the reunification of Germany. Michael Kretschmer, the CDU’s candidate, has been the state premier since 2017, initially in coalition with the SPD and since 2019 with the Greens as well.

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In Thuringia, CDU candidate Mario Voigt has already asserted his intention to form a government. «We, as CDU, see this as an opportunity for political change under our leadership,» Voigt stated from Erfurt. He also announced plans to open talks with the SPD due to their «very respectable result despite the headwinds from the Berlin traffic light coalition.»

CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann addressed the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony, promising that there would be no coalition with AfD. «We are very, very clear about that,» he emphasized, defending the need for agreements «towards the center,» according to German public television.

AfD’s candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has «warned» against excluding his party. «Anyone who wants stability in Thuringia must include AfD. Any coalition without AfD will not benefit this state,» Höcke argued.

«It is a good tradition for the leading party to invite others to negotiate,» he added, noting that there are CDU grassroots members who support collaboration. «How long can the CDU leadership continue with policies that go against the grassroots?» he questioned.

AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla also claimed their right to govern as the leading party in Thuringia. «The voters’ will is for political change here, in Saxony, and also in Thuringia,» Chrupalla said in an interview with ZDF television.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel highlighted the «historic success» of the elections. «We are the leading party in the state for the first time (in Thuringia). In Saxony, AfD will also achieve the best results,» Weidel stated, viewing these results as a «punishment for the traffic light coalition» governing at the federal level.

«This is a requiem for this coalition. They should ask themselves if they can continue governing,» she argued, advocating for early elections.

With these results, BSW will determine which party governs in both states. Sahra Wagenknecht has advocated for a CDU-BSW coalition in Saxony. «We have high hopes that we can form a good government with the CDU,» she explained to ARD public television.

BSW’s candidate in Saxony, Sabine Zimmermann, had previously ruled out any collaboration with AfD. «We clearly reject a coalition with AfD,» she said on ZDF. «The CDU will have to decide whether to continue with the Greens and the SPD, keeping things as they are, or if it will want to talk with BSW, and then the party could make a change,» she argued.

Another important consideration is that AfD will control at least one-third of the seats in Thuringia, making a two-thirds majority impossible without the party’s involvement. In this state, a two-thirds majority is necessary for certain decisions, such as electing judges.

Source La Gaceta

Maria Herrera Mellado

María Herrera Mellado es una abogada en EE.UU. y España y Doctora en Ciencias Jurídicas. Completó sus estudios de grado y posgrado en EE.UU. y Europa. Profesional distinguida, la Dra. Herrera es conocida por su amplia experiencia en políticas públicas, asuntos legales y relaciones internacionales. Su reconocimiento proviene de sus contribuciones a diversas organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, centradas en temas como la integridad electoral, los derechos humanos y la gobernanza democrática. María ha desempeñado un papel fundamental en la defensa de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en los procesos políticos, y sus esfuerzos han sido instrumentales para impulsar reformas y fomentar el desarrollo sostenible en varias regiones. Su formación académica y experiencias profesionales la convierten en una voz respetada en el debate sobre los desafíos políticos y legales contemporáneos.

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