MAGDEBURG, Germany — The far-right Alternative for Germany party won key regional elections by a landslide with at least 44 percent of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls by two public broadcasters found.

The result could bring to power the first far-right state government in Germany’s post-World War II history, but it was too early to tell whether the AfD had enough votes for an absolute majority that would allow it to govern a state alone for the first time.

“We have made history today,” said a jubilant Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old lead candidate of the anti-immigration AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state.

The center-right CDU of Chancellor Friedrich Merz came a distant second, winning around 18.5 percent, according to exit polls by broadcasters ARD and ZDF. The center-left Social Democrats and environmental Greens both cleared the minimum threshold to enter parliament, the ARD poll showed.

Turnout was around 76%, well above levels typically seen in state elections.

Depending on the eventual count, the CDU’s state premier Sven Schulze would hope to still be able to form a new multi-party coalition to block the AfD from power.

But much could depend on whether the far-left populist BSW party, a potential AfD coalition partner, could also clear the threshold. Exit polls showed it just above or just below it.

All major parties have so far maintained a “firewall” of non-cooperation with the Moscow-friendly AfD, whose state branch is categorized as “right-wing extremist” by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

A first-ever AfD state government would be a shock for many in Germany, which has been at pains to atone for its dark history of World War II and the........

© The Times of Israel