The far-right Alternative for Germany party has won the elections in the state of Thuringia and has come second in Saxony, behind the Christian Democrats of the CDU, according to exit polls published after the polls closed.
AfD won 30.5% of the votes in Thuringia, followed by the CDU with 24.5%. Another strong gainer – 16% of the votes – was the anti-immigration left of Sahra Wagenknecht.
In Saxony, the CDU won 32% of the vote, followed by the AfD with 31.5% and Sahra Wagenknecht with 11.5%.
The two federal states together have about 6.2 million inhabitants, which represents only a small part of Germany’s 82 million inhabitants, but the elections have acquired great significance at the federal level due to the rise of the extreme right and the poor position of the governing parties, led by the Social Democrat Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
Saxony’s Prime Minister, Christian Democrat Michael Kretschmer, said after voting that it was the most important election for his state in 34 years.
Kretschmer governs at the head of a coalition chaired by his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens as minority partners.
Source: www.eldiario.es
