Scholz calls election results in eastern German states 'bitter'

Chancellor Olaf Scholz described election results in the German states of Thuringia and Saxony which saw surging support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "bitter."

At the same time, Scholz expressed relief that "gloomy forecasts" which predicted his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) could plunge out of both state parliaments did not come to pass.

But Scholz said the AfD's show of strength, with nearly a third of all votes cast in both states, particularly concerning.

"Our country cannot and must not get used to this," Scholz said in a post on Instagram on Monday, his first comments on Sunday's election results. "The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country's reputation. All democratic parties are now called upon to form stable governments without right-wing extremists."

"Sunday's election results are bitter - for us too. Nevertheless, the SPD has stuck together. We ran a good and clear election campaign together," Scholz added about his own party's performance.

Sunday's elections saw the SPD faced its worst election results in Saxony (7.3% of the vote) and Thuringia (6.1% of the vote) since 1990, when both states held free elections for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the ruling communist regime in East Germany.

The SPD's performance in Thuringia on Sunday is the party's worst-ever showing in a democratic statewide election in Germany.

Some critics have called Sunday's election results a disaster for Scholz's three-party national coalition, with both the Greens and the pro-business liberal Free Democrats (FDP) enduring miserable performances.

The squabbling, unpopular coalition could face increased pressure in the wake of the elections, with just over a year left before the next nationwide parliamentary vote in September 2025.