For the first time since World War 2, a far-right party in Germany has recorded a win. During the state elections in the country, anti-immigration party - Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been projected to win in the eastern state of Thuringia.
Despite not having enough seats to form the government, the far-right win has sparked concerns across Germany and the world.
Germany State Elections - Exit Polls Project Win For Afd In Thuringia, Close Call In Saxony
As per German broadcasters ARD and ZDF, Alternative for Germany has been projected to win 32% to 33% of the vote in Thuringia.
AfD was followed by, centre-right Christian Democratic Union, the main national opposition party, with 24% of the vote.
In the neighbouring state of Saxony, AfD and CDU were neck-and-neck before the centre-right party took the lead. CDU recorded 31.5% to 31.8 % of the vote, followed by AfD at 30.8% to 31.4%.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) has been projected for disappointment in both states. In Thuringia, SPD secured 6.1 percent of the vote and 7.3 percent in Saxony.
AfD Welcomes 'Historic Success'
Far-right party AfD's top candidate Björn Höcke and leader claimed a "historic victory" after the projection in Thuringia. The former history teacher is a highly controversial figure in Germany.
As per reports, Hocke has been designated as a right-wing extremist and has also been fined for using a Nazi slogan, despite him denying the incident.
With their wins and close calls in the state elections, many Germans are now concerned of the future vote. With federal elections set to be held next year, the far-right AfD is currently second in the national polls.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel hailed the result as a "requiem" for the three parties running Germany. She added that the results in Thuringia and Saxony have made it clear that AfD is wanted in the government - "w without us a stable government is no longer possible at all."
Far-Right Win Sparks Concern
As per Charlotte Knobloch, one of Germany's best-known Holocaust survivors pointed out that this election took place exactly 85 years since the outbreak of the second World War.
As per Knobloch, the result of the state elections have now left Germnay in danger of becoming "more unstable, colder and poorer, less safe and less worth living in".
The state of Brandenburg will go to the polls on September 22. In this eastern state, AfD is ahead in the opinion polls, but the Social Democrats and conservatives are only a few points behind.
Bodo Ramelow, the premier of Thuringia, whose Left party lost drastically said that all democratic parties need to work together to "fight the normalisation of fascism".
