German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Solingen, Germany, on September 1, 2024. | Photo Credit: via Reuters
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the first right-wing party to win a state legislature election in Germany after World War II
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Results of the two regional elections in which a big win was seen Far-right AfD He described it as a “bitter” and “bitter” loss for his coalition and urged mainstream parties to form a government without “right-wing extremists”.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the first right-wing party to win state legislative elections in Germany since World War II. The party won the vote in Thuringia over the weekend. According to estimates late Sunday night, the party came in second after the conservatives in Saxony.
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But the AfD, which is considered “right-wing extremist” by security officials in both eastern German states, is unlikely to govern because other parties have so far refused to cooperate with it to form a majority.
Still, the nationalist, anti-migration and Russia-friendly party could win enough seats in both states to allow it to block decisions that require a two-thirds majority, such as the appointment of judges or top security officials, giving it unprecedented power.
“The AfD’s results in Saxony and Thuringia are worrying,” Mr. Scholz said in a statement. ReutersHe clarified that he was speaking as an MP for his left-wing Social Democrats (SPD) party.
“Our country cannot and should not get used to this. The AfD is harming Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country’s reputation.”
Germany’s national election is still a year away, and Sunday’s results punished Mr. Scholz’s fragmented coalition, likely fueling further infighting.
All three ruling parties suffered vote losses, with only her SPD comfortably crossing the 5% threshold needed to remain in either state parliament.
The populist left-wing newcomer, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), founded by a former East German Communist Party member, outperformed all three coalition partners in its first state election, coming in third.
“Sunday’s election results are bittersweet – also for us,” Mr Scholz said, but he added that even more dire predictions, that the SPD could be shut out of the state parliament for the first time, did not come true.
Junior coalition partners the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats both dropped out of the Thuringia state assembly.
Sunday’s results are likely to pile pressure on the government to take a tougher stance on immigration and intensify the debate over support for Ukraine, issues that dominated the campaign.