AfD's historic win in Thuringia shakes German politics

The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, whose party won the state parliament elections on Sunday, declared in the evening that AfD "achieved a historic result."

"We are the number one people's party in Thuringia," said Hoecke on ARD television after the announcement of exit poll results, which indicate that AfD won in this eastern state of the Federal Republic of Germany. "The old parties should practice humility," the politician added.

Hoecke wants to hold talks with other parties about participating in the Thuringian government. "We are ready to take on governmental responsibility," he assured. AfD leader Alice Weidel also spoke of her party's "historic success," which for the first time has become the largest political force in Thuringia.

She added that in Saxony, where elections to the state parliament also took place on Sunday, AfD "achieved a better result than we expected." In her opinion, "voters want AfD to participate in the government."

The founder of the radical left-wing BSW party, Sahra Wagenknecht, ruled out cooperation with AfD in Thuringia under the leadership of Bjoern Hoecke. "Mr. Hoecke represents a volkist worldview, which is miles away from us," Wagenknecht said on ARD television. "We have always said that we cannot work with Mr. Hoecke," she added. Wagenknecht hopes that BSW will be able to form a good government in Thuringia along with the CDU and, according to current data, also with the SPD.

The Prime Minister of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow (Left), believes that the task of forming a government lies with CDU candidate Mario Voigt.

"The person from the democratic spectrum with the most votes must start the talks, must send the invitations. I will support everyone who helps us achieve a democratic majority in the parliament," Ramelow said on ARD television, referring to the CDU's results. According to exit polls, Voigt's party placed behind AfD in the Thuringian elections.

The Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer of the CDU, which according to surveys won Sunday's elections in that state, expressed satisfaction. "We have every reason to celebrate," he said, quoted by the "Welt" newspaper's portal. "We have had five difficult years, but the people of Saxony have trusted the Christian Democrats," he added. "We are ready to continue taking responsibility for our state," he assured.

According to forecasts published after the polling stations closed, AfD won in Thuringia, ahead of CDU. In Saxony, the Christian Democrats have a slight edge over AfD.