German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged mainstream parties not to lend support to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won a big victory in the eastern state of Thuringia in Sunday’s regional election.
The result gives the far right its first win in a state parliament election since World War Two. The AfD also came a close second in Sunday’s other big state election, in the more populous neighbouring state of Saxony.
The AfD has been designated as right-wing extremist in both Thuringia and Saxony. Björn Höcke, the AfD leader in Thuringia, has previously been fined for using a Nazi slogan, although he denies knowingly doing so.
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Yesterday, Scholz urged other parties to block the AfD from governing by maintaining a so-called firewall against it.
“All democratic parties are now called upon to form stable governments without right-wing extremists,” he said, calling the results “bitter” and “worrying”.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said that voters in Thuringia and Saxony had given her party a “very clear mandate to govern”.