Berlin: In Thuringia, three political parties came together on Thursday to prevent the Alternative for Germany (AfD) from gaining power, electing Mario Voigt, the conservative leader who led his party to second place behind the far-right AfD, as the new state premier.

The AfD shocked Germany’s mainstream parties in September by becoming the first far-right party to win a regional election since World War II. However, all other parties, both regionally and nationally, have refused to collaborate with the AfD.

Voigt, leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in Thuringia, secured 51 out of the 88 votes in the state parliament, which included support from seven legislators outside his coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the populist left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). Voigt’s election comes just 10 weeks before Germany’s national election, where the growing strength of the AfD – currently second in opinion polls – could complicate efforts to form a coalition government in the country, already grappling with a deep economic crisis.

The AfD is particularly strong in eastern Germany, where the transition from communism to integration with western Germany has shaped a unique political culture. Friedrich Merz, the conservatives' candidate for chancellor, congratulated Voigt, whose state-level strategy of shifting his party rightward to win back voters from the far-right mirrors Merz’s approach at the national level.

In Thuringia’s parliament, the three coalition parties together held 44 votes, just one short of the majority Voigt needed for his first-round election. The opposition Left party, which traces its roots to the former East German Communist party, agreed to lend Voigt additional votes in exchange for regular consultations on the coalition's legislative agenda. The BSW, with its opposition to arming Ukraine, remains an uneasy partner for the CDU and SPD, who at the national level strongly support backing Ukraine.