German far-right leader Höcke hails 'historic victory' in Thuringia

The firebrand leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the state of Thuringia, Björn Höcke, hailed his party's projected lead in state parliamentary elections there on Sunday as an "historic victory."

Höcke, who has become a household name in Germany for his fiery extremist rhetoric, gave a brief speech to supporters at an election evening party in the state capital of Erfurt.

Höcke contended that he wants to lead a coalition government in the state and plans to invite other politicians for coalition talks.

Every other major German political party has categorically ruled out any cooperation with the AfD, who many view as too extreme and a danger to Germany's democratic traditions.

"We are ready to take government responsibility," Höcke said on Sunday evening, noting that tradition has normally given the top-performing party the first chance to form a coalition.

Chants of "Höcke, Höcke!" and "Here we go!" could be heard from outside the event, which was closed to the media at the last minute.

The results would mark the first time that the AfD has won a state parliamentary election and is likely to be seen as a major breakthrough for the far right in Germany.

Projections based on exit polls released shortly after the end of voting at 6 pm (1600 GMT) on Sunday forecast the AfD to take about a third of the vote in the state. Those forecasts put the far-right party seven to nine percentage points ahead of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) in second place.