AfD's victory in Thuringia marks the first time since WWII that a far-right party appears on course to enter a state parliament, with the far-right party polling at over 32% according to exit polls published on Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENTThe leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has called his party’s success in Sunday’s state elections a "historic victory".
It's the first time since World War II that a far-right party appears set to enter a state parliament, with the AfD polling at over 32% of the vote, according to Sunday's exit polls.
"I am overjoyed. I am proud of my state ... I am proud of the many, many volunteers who came to us, especially from the associations in the west of the country, and campaigned here. We have achieved a historic result," Höcke said.
"For the first time in its still young party history, the AfD has become the strongest parliamentary force after 11 years. And that fills me with great, great, great pride and satisfaction."
The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has fallen to second place in popularity in the state, polling at over 23%.
Speaking to German public broadcaster ARD, Höcke warned that creating a governing coalition without his party "would not be good for the state".
"Whoever wants stability in Thuringia has to integrate the AfD," he said.
Without support from other parties, the AfD can't govern in Thuringia, but finding coalition partners willing to work with it is expected to be challenging.
The party's success at the polls was also praised by the AfD's leader in the German parliament, the Bundestag. Tino Chrupalla said it was clear "the voter wants a change of politics".
"In Thuringia we are clearly ahead by over ten percent, which is a clear government mandate, which is actually democracy, something the other parties always talk about. In Saxony we are neck and neck with the CDU, maybe we even manage to become the strongest party here as well," he said.
In the neighbouring state of Saxony, where state voting also took place, the CDU has a very narrow lead, 31.9% to the AfD's 30.6%.
And with federal elections just a year away, the AfD is in second place in national opinion polls. That, according to the party's co-leader Alice Weidel, is proof that voters in both states want her party in government.
"Without us a stable government is no longer possible," she said.
But speaking in Dresden, the CDU's Minister President for Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, said his party was ready to govern.
"We were the rock in the surf, we have kept this coalition together, we have kept this government together, we have brought stability to this state, and we are ready with this result to take responsibility again," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT"It’s not going to be easy, we don’t need to discuss this tonight but one thing is for sure: with a lot of talks and the will to do something for this state, we can give Saxony a stable government that serves the state and marches on with humility, and this, ladies and gentlemen, is, what we have all been fighting for."
The months-old leftist party led by Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) has come in third place in both states.
The Greens, one of the three parties that makes up Germany's ruling coalition, performed poorly in both states, taking 3.2% of the vote in Thuringia and 5.2% in Saxony.
Party leader for the Greens in the Bundestag, Omid Nouripour, said he was more disappointed about the strong showing of the AfD than he was about the poor polling for his own party.
ADVERTISEMENT"My pain this evening is marginal compared to the fact that we have a profound turning point and an openly right-wing extremist party has become the strongest force in a state parliament for the first time since 1949. And that worries and frightens a lot of people," he said.
Those comments were apparently echoed by Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner of the centre-right CDU, who called the results in both states a “wake-up call”.
He said the results "show, in a shocking manner, that many people in our country no longer feel represented by the centrist democratic parties."
Many viewed the results of these elections as a barometer of public sentiment for the current government ahead of Germany's next national election, due next year.
ADVERTISEMENTBut the inconclusive results in both federal regions mean forming a government will be very difficult.
It is extremely unlikely that any other party will agree to put the AfD party in power by joining it in a coalition, with the CDU's national general secretary Carsten Linnemann saying his party will stick to its longstanding refusal to work with the far-right group.
However, the AfD remains optimistic it can forge the necessary political alliances.
"As the strongest force, we are naturally tasked, according to parliamentary custom, with making the appropriate offers. It remains to be seen whether the established politics and other forces will continue with their failed concepts or if they are willing to engage with us in discussions," AfD Thuringia state spokesperson Stefan Möller told Euronews.
ADVERTISEMENT"At the very least, we are ready to talk to everyone and explore how, together, we can create better policies for Thuringia than what we've seen in the last ten years."
And AfD MEP René Aust said his party had been a "constructive force" in the state.
"We humbly accept this result, aware of the great trust that the people of Thuringia have placed in us. That’s why we will hold a state board meeting next week and then invite others to exploratory talks," he said in an interview with Euronews.