The regional elections in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia brought the expected major advance of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), coupled with a significant result for the left-wing breakaway party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) suffered a crushing defeat, as did the government’s coalition partners, the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP).
In Saxony, exit polls show the conservative CDU just might manage to cling onto the top spot with 32 percent of votes, followed by AfD with 31 percent, BSW with 11 percent and the Social Democrats with a meager 7 percent. However, the FDP was entirely kicked out of state parliament, scoring below 2 percent.
In Thuringia, the AfD is in the clear lead with 33 percent, CDU placed second with 24 percent, the BSW with 14 percent and the Social Democrats with a very disappointing 6 percent. However, the Greens and the FDP were both kicked entirely out of parliament.
The AfD won in large part due to its backing from blue-collar voters and the youth, winning nearly half of the working-class vote in both states. It also received the most votes from the youth in both states, scoring 37 percent in Thuringia. However, it fell short with pensioners, with the CDU outperforming in that group.
AfD leader Alice Weidel spoke on Sunday evening of her party’s “historic success,” referring to the fact that it had become the strongest party in Thuringia for the first time. She said she believed voters wanted the AfD to govern: “Without the AfD, it is impossible to form a stable government.”
But Carsten Linnemann, the CDU’s secretary-general, in line with his party’s previous line, also ruled out a coalition with the AfD on Sunday evening. “We are very, very clear on that,” he added. He said the CDU would form a government from the center of parliament.
Michael Kretschmer, Saxony’s CDU prime minister, welcomed the results. “We have every reason to celebrate. We have five hard years behind us.”
The Social Democrats responded to their poor showing, with SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühner conceding: “This is not a night for celebration. There was a real danger of being knocked out of the state parliaments.”
Björn Höcke, the local leader of the AfD, which won in Thuringia, said, “I am very happy, we have achieved a historic result.”
