Germany's far-right AfD sees mandate after maiden regional win
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00:00Exit polls put support for the far-right alternative for Germany, the AfD, at around
00:0433 percent in the former East German state of Thuringia and well ahead of the second
00:10leading party, the centre-right CDU Christian Democratic Union.
00:15Alice Weidel, a national co-leader of the AfD,
00:18said the lead in the exit poll was a clear mandate.
00:24This is a historic success for us. We have become the major force in regional
00:29elections for the first time. This is a requiem for the ruling coalition.
00:35The AfD leader in Thuringia, Björn Hocke, has been convicted of knowingly using a Nazi
00:40slogan at political events. It is extremely unlikely that any other party will agree to
00:45put him and the AfD in power by joining it in the coalition.
00:50The CDU lead candidate for Thuringia, Mario Voigt, has ruled that out.
00:55The strength of a party set up by a prominent leftist,
01:00Sarah Wagenknecht, adds an additional complication.
01:03Her alliance, the BSW, is seen taking up to 16 percent of the vote.
01:09We very much hope that together with the CDU we will end up with a good government,
01:13probably also with the SPD. Given the way the polls are now, I hope that will work.
01:19The vote in another state, Saxony, was a close race between AfD and CDU.
01:24With the CDU projected at around 32 percent, ahead of the AfD around 30.6.
01:30Olaf Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats, meanwhile,
01:33appear set to remain in the two state legislatures.
01:36Sunday's vote, however, was a major blow for them,
01:39with a national election due in a little over a year.
01:42A third state election will take place in the eastern state of Brandenburg
01:46on the 22nd of September. It is currently led by Scholz's party.