Alternative for Germany leads in Thuringia with 30.5% of vote

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Sep 2024 21:13

In Thuringia, the center-right Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) is currently in second place, receiving 24.5% of the votes.

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An election campaign poster of the far-right Alternative for Germany, AfD, promising "summer, sun, remigration" and depicting a plane with the logo "Deportation-Hansa." is displayed at a lamp post in the center of Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

According to exit poll data from the Infratest Dimap Institute, Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is leading the regional elections in the federal state of Thuringia with 30.5% of the votes on Sunday.

This could potentially mark the AfD's first-ever victory in a regional election, as reported by the Tagesschau portal.

In Saxony, the AfD is currently in second place with an estimated 30% of the votes, trailing the center-right Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) by just 1.5 percentage points.

In Thuringia, the CDU is currently in second place, receiving 24.5% of the votes.

In both states, the recently formed left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance is in third place, with 16% of the votes in Thuringia and 12% of the votes in Saxony.

Unglaubliche Stimmung heute beim Wahlkampfabschluss in #Erfurt!
Morgen haben wir die historische Möglichkeit in #Thüringen die politische Wende einzuleiten. Mit eurer Unterstützung schaffen wir das blaue Wunder. Am Sonntag beide Stimmen für die AfD!#derOstenmachts pic.twitter.com/12iHvVb0yZ
— AfD Thüringen (@AfD_Thueringen) August 31, 2024

In recent years, the AfD has gained significant traction in Germany, becoming the second strongest party in the country.

This growth is largely due to rising voter dissatisfaction with the current coalition government's policies, particularly on issues like immigration, inflation, and climate change.

In the latest European Parliament elections, the party achieved a significant result, securing the second-largest share of votes in Germany with nearly 16%.

This marks a substantial gain of 5 percentage points compared to the 2019 EU elections and places the AfD behind the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, which won 30.2% of the vote.

Since 2021, Germany's domestic intelligence service has been monitoring the AfD's youth wing and different affiliates.

On June 12, the chairman of Germany's domestic intel agency announced that it would compile a fresh report on the AfD to investigate the party's extremist inclinations.