German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition faced significant setbacks in recent state elections, with historic gains for anti-establishment parties like the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the newly formed leftist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), Reuters reports.
The AfD achieved a significant victory in Thuringia after securing 33.2% of the vote, marking its first regional election win. The BSW also performed well, garnering 11.5-15.6% of the vote. Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) received only 6-7.6% of the vote in Thuringia, while the junior coalition partners, the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP), both faced the risk of being ousted from the Thuringia state parliament for failing to meet the 5% threshold.
The strong performance of the AfD and BSW, both anti-NATO and Russia-friendly, may push mainstream parties to adopt tougher stances on immigration and reduce support for Ukraine.
