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Voters in the east German regions of Saxony and Thuringia went to the polls on Sunday. The Alternative for Germany party is likely to win in at least one state, causing a political earthquake.
Polls show the AfD might come first in Thuringia, marking the first time a far-right party has won a regional election in Germany postwar. In Saxony, it is polling two percentage points behind the CDU.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition parties are preparing for a tough time as voters express frustration with their government due to factors like high inflation, economic stagnation, rising energy costs, and constant internal disagreements.
The elections have been influenced by the war in Ukraine, with the AfD and the far-left BSW calling for an end to German military support for Kyiv and peace negotiations to stop hostilities.
After 34 years of German reunification, a majority of people in the former communist east are dissatisfied with mainstream parties and how Germany is managed.
The AfD, founded 11 years ago by economists upset about eurozone bailouts, is now a hardline nationalist party strongly against immigration.
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Germany’s far right expected to make gains in eastern regional election