The eastern German state of Thuringia is far away from Berlin and its federal politics, so it's not considered a major state in terms of political importance. With just 1.7 million people, it has less than half as many eligible voters as the German capital.

But it wasn't always that way: The Weimar Republic, considered the first German democracy, was founded in the Thuringian city of Weimar. Culturally speaking, the state was also no lightweight: Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German here, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller made Weimar the center of German literature and philosophy, and the world-famous Bauhaus architecture was also founded in Thuringia.

In 2024, however, the whole of Germany is looking at Thuringia with concern. For the first time since 1945 — the end of the most disastrous chapter in German history, the rule of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists (Nazis) — a right-wing extremist party received the most votes in state elections here: the Alternative for Germany (AfD). On September 1, the party achieved a record 32.8% of the vote in state elections.

The results were anything but surprising. For months beforehand, constitutional lawyers, political scientists, local clubs, unions, business associations and churches warned of the consequences of an AfD election victory. In countless speeches and writings, top AfD officials have denigrated democratic institutions. AfD politicians insult political competitors as "cartel parties" and defame German democracy as a "new dictatorship." The AfD portrays the independent judiciary as the lackey of politics, has declared the destruction of competing parties as its goal, and is fighting for the deportation of millions of immigrants and people with international backgrounds.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser........

© Deutsche Welle