The German far-Right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has hailed an historic victory in a regional election in the east of the country.
It is the first time a far-Right party has triumphed in a German election since the Nazis. However, despite the result, the AfD will not be able to govern in Thuringia.
Winning the poll with 33 percent of the vote, ahead of the centre-Right Christian Democrat Union (CDU) on 23 percent, AfD would still need to go into coalition with the CDU. This is something the CDU has ruled out.
Notwithstanding the AfD’s lack of viable coalition partners Björn Höcke, the AfD’s state leader in Thuringia, has declared the party is ready to rule and that it’s “a tradition that the strongest party starts coalition talks”.
Reacting to the result he said that it represented “a clear vote against business as usual, we need changes and there will only be changes with the AfD”.
He demanded opposition parties end the “stupid firewall excuses”, referring to how parties to the left of the AfD have seeming blocked them from governing.
Höcke himself has this year been embroiled in a trial over his use of Nazi slogans.
He was found guilty and ordered to pay an almost £11,000 fine (13,000 euros).
Meanwhile in Saxony, the AfD came a close second. The CDU won the election with 31.9 percent of the vote.
The AfD claimed 30.6 percent, with anti-immigration leftist party the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance coming in third with 11.8 percent.
