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In Sonneberg, Thuringia, Robert Sesselmann made the central state the first to be run by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after he came on top in a runoff vote for district administrator.

Located near the border of Bavaria, the district became a landmark according to AfD co-chief Alice Weidel who wrote on Twitter that "Robert Sesselmann has made history."

Sesselmann managed to acquire 52.8% of the votes, reported the electoral office, despite the continued appeals to voters, by mainstream parties, to reaffirm their support for CDU incumbent candidate Joergen Koepper.

#Sonneberg hat sein blaues Wunder erlebt: Robert #Sesselmann ist der erste #AfD-Landrat Deutschlands. Wir gratulieren herzlich und bedanken uns bei allen Unterstützern und Wählern - sie alle haben heute Geschichte geschrieben! pic.twitter.com/ue5j5gf6u1

— AfD (@AfD) June 25, 2023

The win came at a time when recent polls indicated that support for the AfD has reached a record of 18 to 20%, matching the support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and lagging behind the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, only.

In Thuringia, Brandenburg, and Saxony, the former communist states of East Germany, the AfD has been faring even better. These states will hold regional elections next year, and the AfD intends to make significant gains there.

The Interior Minister of Georg Maier, affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany, considered the outcome of the most recent election in Sonneberg "an alarm bell for all democratic forces," as reported by German news outlet Bild.

Poll shows increased support for Germany's AfD

Earlier, at the end of May, a poll published by the Bild revealed that support for the AfD party has increased its popular base to a five-year high amid growing distrust towards the Greens. 

The survey, conducted by INSA from May 22-26, showed that AfD earned 1% to poll at 18%, whilst the Greens lost 1% to 13% - their lowest rate in five years. 

The poll also revealed that the number of respondents who said they would never vote for AfD decreased from 60% in December to 53.9% in May. 

"The number of eligible voters who are categorically opposed to AfD has decreased markedly. The social climate has changed in AfD’s favor," Insa head Hermann Binkert said.  

The Green party in Germany is one of three making up the coalition of Social Democrat Olaf Scholz.

Since Germany's economy minister Robert Habeck, who also happens to be a Green party delegate, has been accused of cronyism, the party has faced serious challenges to its reputation.

Other relevant results from the poll revealed that the opposition conservative bloc, the CDU/CSU, scored with 28% of eligible voters' support, followed by Social Democrats with 20% and 9% for the Free Democrats.

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