German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition was punished in two regional elections in eastern Germany on Sunday, with populist parties on the extreme right and left taking more than 60% of the vote in Thuringia and almost half in Saxony.
The Alternative fur Deutschland is on course for a clear victory in Thuringia on 32.8%, according to projections for public broadcaster ARD.
It represents the first triumph for a far-right party in a German state ballot since World War II, even if it’s highly unlikely to be able to form a government as it’s shunned by the other parties represented in parliament.
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