In Thuringia, Höcke's AfD emerges as the dominant force, surpassing the CDU, which holds the second-strongest position.
The radical decline of Bodo Ramelow's party, the Left, resulted in a dismal 11.5% to 12.5% share of votes, even lagging behind the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The revamped BSW state team, spearheaded by frontrunner Katja Wolf, gained an impressive 14.5% to 16.0% of votes, placing third.
The major federal coalition parties SPD, Greens, and FDP all fared poorly in Thuringia. The SPD, headed by the chancellor's party, hit a record low in a state election with 6.5% to 7.0%. Both Greens and FDP failed to regain their seats in the Erfurt parliament, recording 4.0% and 1.0% to 1.3% respectively.
Predictions indicate that the seats in the forthcoming state parliament will be distributed as follows: AfD 30 to 33, CDU 24, BSW 14 to 15, Left 11 to 12, and SPD 6 to 7.
With these results, there's no clear winner for Thuringia's next parliament, leaving a complex task of government formation ahead. Ramelow's minority government, combined with SPD and Greens, has been clearly dismissed.
Given its enhanced standing, the extremist AfD, led by far-right personality Höcke, is unlikely to take part in the government, as all other parties refuse to collaborate with them. Potential governments, such as one headed by the runner-up CDU, would rely on the backing of the recent Thuringian BSW.
The voter turnout for Thuringia's state election was impressive, reaching 73.5% according to ARD. The previous election in 2019 had a turnout of 64.9%. Approximately 1.66 million qualified voters were eligible to cast their ballots.
The Leader of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, Katja Wolf, oversees the wagon servant within their transformed state team. Despite Bodo Ramelow's Left Party's decline, the Alliance Sahra wagon servant managed to secure a substantial vote share, placing third in the election.
