German far-right AfD party wins landmark victory in Thuringia region

NEWS WIRES

1 September 2024 at 3:20 pm·1-min read

Germany's far-right AfD party took between 30.5 percent and 33.5 percent of the vote in elections in the eastern state of Thuringia, according to exit polls, marking the first time in Germany’s post-World War II history that an extreme-right party has won a state election. The conservative CDU came in second place with around 24.5 percent of the vote.

Germany’s far-right AfD won a landmark first regional vote on Sunday in the former East German state of Thuringia, exit polls showed, in a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of national elections in 2025.

The AfD took between 30.5 and 33.5 percent of the vote in Thuringia, according to exit polls, with the conservative CDU in second place at around 24.5 percent.

The AfD was also neck-and-neck with the CDU for first place in the neighbouring state of Saxony, which also held a regional election on Sunday, the polls showed.

The AfD is unlikely to come to power in either state because other parties have ruled out working with the far right to form a government.

But the result is still a political earthquake as it would represent the first time in Germany’s post-World War II history that a far-right party has won a state election.

The SPD looked to have scored between 6.5 and 7 percent in Thuringia, and between 7.5 and 8.5 percent in Saxony.

‘Historic success’

(AFP)

The Telegraph
Kamala Harris suffers poll blow ahead of critical Trump debate
Kamala Harris has suffered a fall in the polls for the first time since becoming her party’s presidential candidate.
Malay Mail
PM Anwar: Teresa Kok’s halal certification comments spark unnecessary controversy
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — A recent statement by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok on halal certification does not reflect the position...
The Independent
Brexit failed – and it triggered mass immigration, Tony Blair says
Exclusive interview: Former prime minister lambasts Boris Johnson for promising to ‘take back control’ of migration but instead ‘replacing young Europeans with older immigrants from Africa and Asia’ – as he urges Keir Starmer to repair ties with the EU
Malay Mail
'Mouths closed, hands and feet tied': Muhyiddin calls for steadfastness in Bersatu’s struggle during party’s eighth anniversary
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on members...
INSIDER
Iran wants Israelis to worry that Hezbollah has a rare and powerful EMP weapon
Iran claims it gave Hezbollah EMP weapons. It could be real or it could be a bluff to get nuclear-armed Israel to think twice about attacking Lebanon.
Reuters
China says ties with Philippines at a crossroads over South China Sea
China called on the Philippines to "seriously consider the future" of a relationship "at a crossroads" in a Monday commentary published by the People's Daily, the newspaper of the governing Communist Party, amid tensions in the South China Sea. The Philippines and China have exchanged accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard vessels in the disputed waterway in recent months, including a violent clash in June in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger. Manila "should seriously consider the future of China-Philippines relations and work with China to push bilateral relations back on track," it added.
CNN
Outgunned and outnumbered, Ukraine’s military is struggling with low morale and desertion
Russia’s grinding war has decimated many Ukrainian units and left some soldiers exhausted and demoralized. Some officers say desertion is becoming a problem.
CNN
Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest terrifying battlefield innovation
Ukraine appears to be calling on a fleet of fire-spewing “dragon drones” in its war with Russian invaders, putting a modern twist on a munition used to horrific effect in both world wars.
The Independent
Kimberly Guilfoyle forced to ask audience to clap as awkward speech falls flat
‘We are ready, we are willing, and we are able to spark a new era of American exceptionalism,’ Donald Trump Jr’s fiancée says to sparse applause
Malay Mail
Transport minister: New laws needed as Malaysia prepares for autonomous vehicle era
CYBERJAYA, Sept 9 — The Transport Ministry announced today that it is considering a new legal framework to govern autono...
CNN
Judge delays Trump’s sentencing until after the election
Former President Donald Trump will not be sentenced in his New York criminal case until after the 2024 election, Judge Juan Merchan announced Friday, explaining that his decision to delay the sentencing is in part to avoid any appearance of affecting the outcome of the presidential race.
The Guardian
‘I am the police, I am the army’: blacklisted settler’s rule in West Bank
Palestinians tell of self-styled warlord’s brutal reign across whole of Jabal Salman valley – and he is one of many
Reuters
Turkey's Erdogan calls for Islamic alliance against Israel
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Islamic countries should form an alliance against what he called "the growing threat of expansionism" from Israel, drawing a rebuke from the Israeli foreign minister. He made the comment after describing what Palestinian and Turkish officials said was the killing by Israeli troops of a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries," Erdogan said at an Islamic schools' association event near Istanbul.
France 24
Russia claims new gains in east Ukraine push, launches deadly strikes
Russia claimed on Sunday that its forces had taken full control of a town in eastern Ukraine as they advance on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again urged Kyiv's partners to give him more scope to use Western-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia. Russia on Sunday said its forces had advanced in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv reported deadly air attacks and urged the West to allow it to carry out more retaliatory strikes inside Russia's bor
Associated Press
What the Trump-Clinton debates might tell us about Tuesday's match with Harris
It was Hillary Clinton on the debate stage. As Trump and Harris prepare to debate for the first — and potentially only — time Tuesday, his three meetings with Clinton in 2016 illustrate the challenges facing both candidates in what is again shaping up to be an extremely close election. Harris will face a skilled and experienced debater who excels at rattling his rivals with a barrage of insults and interruptions, while projecting unflappable confidence and conviction.
The Hill
Cooper: Harris ‘is the next president of the United States’ if she wins North Carolina
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said on Sunday that if Vice President Harris wins North Carolina in the general election this November, she “is the next president of the United States.” Cooper told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan that he was confident Harris could win over voters in North Carolina and praised the vice president…
LA Times
Heather Thomas: How a TV star evolved into a behind-the-scenes politico
Heather Thomas was a TV star and a pin-up sensation in the 1980s. But she has long been a Hollywood political activist and fundraiser
HuffPost
Anderson Cooper Debunks Trump's E. Jean Carroll 'Conspiracy Theory' On-Air
Donald Trump, who was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll, falsely claimed Cooper coached her into accusing him.
The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian drones breach Nato airspace as Putin’s forces close in on Pokrovsk
Russian drones spotted in Nato member nations represent ‘aggressive actions beyond Kyiv’, says Ukraine
Associated Press
Israeli strikes in Syria leave 14 dead and more than 40 wounded, Syrian state media says
The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 14 with more than 40 wounded, Syrian state media said Monday morning. Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria late Sunday, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, said at least four of those killed were civilians.

‘Historic success’

Latest stories