Germany AfD: Far right 'overtake Merkel's party' in Thuringia
A German far-right party has beaten
the centre-right party of Chancellor Angela Merkel into third place in a
regional election, exit polls suggest.
Alternative for Germany
(AfD) won about 23% against 22% for the Christian Democrats (CDU) in
Thuringia, a state in the former East Germany.The AfD more than doubled its vote, from 10.6% five years ago.
One of its coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), saw its support crumble from 12.4% to 8%, according to the polls, while its other partner, the Greens, maintained its support at about 5%.
The result in Thuringia could have ramifications nationally, the BBC's Damien McGuinness reports from Berlin.
It is a slap in the face for both the CDU and the SPD, which govern Germany together, he says. The poor results will exacerbate the struggles for leadership in both parties.
The AfD was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party but dramatically shifted its focus to immigration and Islam, building support during the migrant crisis of 2015.
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