Germany's far-right AfD sees mandate after maiden regional win

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00:00Exit polls put support for the far-right alternative for Germany, the AfD, at around

00:0433 percent in the former East German state of Thuringia and well ahead of the second

00:10leading party, the centre-right CDU Christian Democratic Union.

00:15Alice Weidel, a national co-leader of the AfD,

00:18said the lead in the exit poll was a clear mandate.

00:24This is a historic success for us. We have become the major force in regional

00:29elections for the first time. This is a requiem for the ruling coalition.

00:35The AfD leader in Thuringia, Björn Hocke, has been convicted of knowingly using a Nazi

00:40slogan at political events. It is extremely unlikely that any other party will agree to

00:45put him and the AfD in power by joining it in the coalition.

00:50The CDU lead candidate for Thuringia, Mario Voigt, has ruled that out.

00:55The strength of a party set up by a prominent leftist,

01:00Sarah Wagenknecht, adds an additional complication.

01:03Her alliance, the BSW, is seen taking up to 16 percent of the vote.

01:09We very much hope that together with the CDU we will end up with a good government,

01:13probably also with the SPD. Given the way the polls are now, I hope that will work.

01:19The vote in another state, Saxony, was a close race between AfD and CDU.

01:24With the CDU projected at around 32 percent, ahead of the AfD around 30.6.

01:30Olaf Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats, meanwhile,

01:33appear set to remain in the two state legislatures.

01:36Sunday's vote, however, was a major blow for them,

01:39with a national election due in a little over a year.

01:42A third state election will take place in the eastern state of Brandenburg

01:46on the 22nd of September. It is currently led by Scholz's party.

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