Right-Wing Extremism Surges in Thuringia: AfD Takes First Place in Upcoming State Elections

In a recent survey conducted by the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the AfD has been found to be in first place ahead of the CDU and the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance in the upcoming state elections in Thuringia. This party, known as right-wing extremist by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has seen a significant surge in popularity among voters.

According to a survey published on Tuesday by Infratest dimap, Björn Höcke, the top candidate of the AfD, is currently at 28 percent, with CDU’s top candidate Mario Voigt following closely behind at 23 percent. The BSW would be at 21 percent from their standpoint.

The Left Party of Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow, which currently leads a minority government in Thuringia with the SPD and Greens, is at just 11 percent. The SPD is seen at seven percent while Greens would miss out on re-entry into Erfurt’s state parliament with four percent. The FDP would also have to leave the state parliament with less than three percent.

Compared to a previous survey conducted in March, there was a slight loss of one percentage point for AfD while CDU gained three points. However, BSW can improve by six points.

Elections will take place on September 1st in Thuringia and Saxony simultaneously followed by Brandenburg on September 22nd. Forming a government after these elections could remain challenging as no coalition known in Germany would have enough seats to form one alone. Without AfD and Left Party support from outside alliances like CDU and BSW can form a coalition together with SPD which Voigt does not rule out despite previously rejecting such cooperation at federal level.