The co - chair of the far - right Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) party Tino Chrupulla said that his party has been given a mandate to govern in the state of Thuringia after initial projections saw the AfD clearly in the lead in state elections on Sunday . " This really is a historic day today in Thuringia and a very good result in Saxony ," he told public broadcaster ZDF , referring to parliamentary elections held in the neighbouring state of Saxony on the same day . Initial projections see the AfD narrowly trailing the conservative Christian Democrats ( CDU ) in Saxony . Chrupalla called the result in Thuringia sensational . " We have a clear lead of over 10 % in Thuringia , so we also have a clear mandate to govern . Incidentally , that is democracy ," he added . Voters wanted to see a change of policy in Saxony and Thuringia , he said , noting that the AfD is willing to talk to all parties . " If you want to do credible politics (...) and take the will of the voters into account , then there will be n o politics without the AfD ," Chrupalla asserted . He warned that Germany ' s other parties should consider whether voters would still accept a firewall which has kept right - wing parties out of government in the past . dpa jr sku xxde ceo eraSource: The Namibia News Agency