In Germany, a far-right party won state elections on Sunday for the first time since World War II, dealing a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a majority of the votes in Thuringia, beating the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and becoming the first far-right party to win a state election since the end of World War II.
In Thuringia, the AfD won 32.8% of the vote compared to the CDU's 23.6%.
According to pollsters, Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) received just 6.1% of the vote. Forschungsgruppe Wahlen Research Group.
“This is a historic success for us,” said Alice Weidel, national co-chair of the AfD.
Other parties have said they will not join the AfD, but the election showed that its strength could make it difficult to form new state governments and force other parties to join a coalition, the Associated Press reported.
With a year to go until Germany's federal election, the result is a wake-up call for Scholz, who may have to take a tougher stance on immigration and speak out more about the Russia-Ukraine war, a major issue in this election. According to Reuters.
SPD Secretary General Kevin Kuhnert said the result showed the party “must assert itself more strongly” and “not be swayed by a party that has just been kicked out of the state parliament,” the news agency reported.
According to the Associated Press, the AfD did not fare much better in the Saxony state elections, receiving only about 30.6% of the support compared to the CDU's 31.9%.
State elections are due to take place in the eastern state of Brandenburg on September 22, where Scholz's party is currently leading but another AfD victory could mean further embarrassment.
in Instagram Post Scholz said on Monday the election results were bittersweet, but that the SPD was united and had run a good campaign.
“The AfD's results in Thuringia and Saxony are worrying. Our country cannot get used to this,” Scholz said. “The AfD is damaging Germany. It is undermining our economy, dividing society and ruining our country's reputation.”
The Associated Press contributed.
