AfD chairwoman Weidel hails party's projected results in state votes

The federal chairwoman of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, has hailed the projected outcome of state elections in Thuringia and Saxony as an historic victory for her party.

At the same time, it is a punishment for the federal government coalition in Berlin, Weidel told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday.

"It is a requiem for this coalition," Weidel said, referring to the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz that consists of his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

The SPD, the Greens and FDP would now have to ask themselves whether they could continue to govern at all, Weidel added.

According to exit polls, the AfD will claim a clear victory in state parliamentary elections in Thuringia, well ahead of the second-place conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).

In Saxony, initial exit polls gave the CDU a narrow lead over the AfD.

Weidel criticized the CDU for ruling out a coalition with the AfD.

"That is, of course, pure ignorance of the will of the voters," she said. Without the AfD, a stable government would no longer be possible.

The AfD will approach the CDU in both Saxony and Thuringia and always has an outstretched hand for constructive cooperation, Weidel said.