Germany's AfD wins first-ever state election in Thuringia

This photo taken on July 5, 2024, shows a view of the Elbe River in Dresden, Germany. [Xinhua]

In a significant political shift, the German Right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party secured its first-ever victory in a state election on Sunday.

According to preliminary results released on Sunday 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.

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 Sunday, narrowly trailing the CDU.

Additionally, the newly formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) came third in both Thuringia and Saxony. Most of the BSW's founding members had belonged to the Left Party.

Another eastern German state, Brandenburg, is scheduled to hold state elections later this month. Polls indicate that the AfD is currently leading as well.

Nevertheless, the established "firewall" against cooperating with the AfD maintained by other parties suggests that the subsequent coalition negotiations in these states will likely be fraught with complexities.