BERLIN: The Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party on the cusp of power at state level for the first time since World War Two.

The AfD won 44.4 percent of the vote, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives trailing well behind on 18.3 percent, and the centre-left Social Democrats and environmental Greens both clearing the minimum threshold to enter parliament, according to an exit poll from the ARD broadcaster.

As counting continued, it remained unclear whether the AfD had secured enough votes to win an absolute majority in parliament. But the wider political significance of the election, which saw turnout over 80 percent, according to the ZDF broadcaster, was clear.

“We have made history in this country,” said Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old AfD lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, who drew thousands to his campaign rallies and who repeatedly cast victory in the state as a first step towards securing national power in federal elections due in 2029.

His party wants to heavily restrict immigration, restore ties with Russia, quit the euro and promote unashamed German patriotism.

The result marks a significant setback for Merz, who has seen his personal approval rating sink to historic lows as voters have turned away both from his planned reforms to revive Germany’s sluggish economy and his own gaffe-prone personal communication style.

The AfD party’s co-leader Alice Weidel hailed an “historic” result which had given the AfD a clear mandate to govern, but a protracted period of coalition building could be needed before a clear majority is formed.

The mainstream parties have all refused to work with the AfD, which has been classified as right-wing extremist by the local office of Germany’s domestic intelligence service. But it may find a partner in the far-left BSW party, if it manages to clear the threshold to enter parliament. Although Saxony-Anhalt, formerly part of Communist-run East Germany, is one of the smaller German states, with a population of just over 2 million, the result underlines the rapid advance of the AfD since it was created in 2013.—Reuters