The far - right Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) made historic gains in a pair of closely watched state elections on Sunday , with initial results giving them a clear victory in Thuringia and trailed only by a narrow margin in Saxony . The AfD ' s projected win in Thuringia would mark the first time since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II that a far - right party has won a statewide election in the country . In Saxony , the incumbent centre - right Christian Democrats ( CDU ) clung to a razor - thin lead over the AfD in projected results from German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF as of 10 pm ( 2000 GMT ) on Sunday night . The election results - and subsequent coalition talks - will decide the balance of power in the state parliaments in Thuringia and Saxony , which each hold considerable power over regional matters . The three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz ' s squabbling and unpopular national coalition government , meanwhile , faced a rough evening with losses nearly everywhere . The resul ts could deepen fractures in the parties with just over a year to go until the next nationwide parliamentary elections in September 2025 . ' Firewall ' to keep AfD out of government The AfD is almost certain to remain frozen out of power in both Thuringia and Saxony despite the strong gains , however , as they are projected to be well short of a majority and were again denounced by other politicians . Every other major German political party has categorically ruled out any cooperation with the AfD , and repeatedly attacked the AfD as too extreme and a danger to Germany ' s democratic traditions . Both Thuringia and Saxony are in the former communist East Germany , where politics and voting patterns remain distinct more than three decades after reunification , and where outmigration and a lagging economy has helped fuel resentment . The states are relatively small - together , they account for only about 7 % of Germany ' s population - but the surging popularity of extremists in the AfD there has drawn wide spread attention across the country . Another insurgent populist party , the newly launched Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance ( BSW ) which combines anti - immigrant stances with left - wing economic policies , placed third in both states . The CDU ' s national general secretary , Carsten Linnemann , hailed the election as a success which demonstrates that his party - unlike their centre - left rivals , the Social Democrats ( SPD ) - remain a mass party with broad support " We are a bullwark ," Linnemann said on Sunday evening . Turnout was high in both Thuringia and Saxony for the election , with a projected 73 . 5 % to 74 . 0 % of eligible voters taking part in the election , significantly more than in the last state elections in 2019 . Voters in another eastern German state , Brandenburg , will elect a new state parliament on September 22 , and opinion polls have put the AfD in the lead there as well . AfD breakthrough in Thuringia Projected results from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF , which are based on exi t polls and initial vote counts , put the AfD at between 32 . 9 % and 33 . 1 % of the vote in Thuringia . That gives the party a clear lead over the CDU , which is forecast to collect 23 . 6 % to 23 . 7 %. Nonetheless , the CDU ' s top candidate in Thuringia , Mario Voigt , claimed a mandate to form the next government in the state , since parties rejected election night overtures from the AfD out of hand . Voigt said the election results called for political change in the state , which has been governed by a left - wing coalition led by Bodo Ramelow of the hard - left Die Linke ( The Left ) party . Voigt said at an election evening party in the state capital of Erfurt that he plans on leading coalition talks to form a " sensible government in Thuringia under the leadership of the CDU ." The BSW was projected to come in third in Thuringia with 15 . 6 % of the vote . Ramelow ' s Die Linke was forecast to finish fourth with between 12 . 9 % and 13 . 0 %, a major slide from the previous state election in 2019 when the party led the vote with 31 %. Ramelow denounced the AfD and said Voigt now holds the responsibility for forming the next government on behalf of those who support democracy . Scholz ' s Social Democrats are projected to collect 6 . 0 % to 6 . 1 % of the Thuringia vote , the worst result for the SPD in any state election since 1945 . His national coalition partners , the Greens and the pro - business liberal Free Democrats ( FDP ), are forecast to fall short of the 5 % threshold required to take seats in German elections . The Greens are forecast to finish with 3 . 2 % of the vote , while the FDP trail with just 1 . 1 %. Tight race in Saxony Projected results showed that the AfD remained within striking distance of first place in Saxony as well on Sunday evening , with 30 . 5 % to 30 . 8 % of the vote . The CDU clung to a very narrow lead in the projected results in the state with 31 . 7 % to 31 . 8 % even as votes continue to be counted . The CDU ' s incumbent state premier , Michael Kretschmer , said he plans to remain in office as the head of a new coalition after the election either way , although tough talks could lie ahead as his current alliance with the SPD and the Greens may no longer hold a majority . The BSW is projected to place third in Saxony with 11 . 7 % to 11 . 9 %, while the SPD is forecast for 7 . 3 % to 7 . 4 %. The Greens are forecast to collect 5 . 2 % to 5 . 3 %, barely over the 5 % threshold required to receive seats in German elections . The hard - left Die Linke is forecast to fall just short of the 5 % mark with 4 . 5 % of the vote , while the FDP appeared to score only around 1 %. Fiery far - right challenge draws headlines The leader of the AfD ' s state organization in Thuringia , the firebrand Bj ö rn H ö cke , has become a household name in the country because of his fiery attacks on immigration policy and his extremist rhetoric . He was twice convicted this year of knowingly quoting a banned Nazi slogan in speeches . Domestic intelligence agencies have labelle d the AfD ' s state - level chapters in both Thuringia and Saxony as known far - right extremist groups , and H ö cke as an extremist . The AfD again made overtures toward the BSW on Sunday night , and H ö cke declared himself ready to former the next government in Thuringia . But the BSW ' s founder and namesake , Sahra Wagenknecht , blasted H ö cke on national TV . " Mr H ö cke represents a v ö lkisch [ ethno - nationalist ] world view , which is miles away from us ," Wagenknecht said . " We have always said that we cannot work with Mr H ö cke ." dpa bst era wjh cro eraSource: The Namibia News Agency