Far-right German party gains but fails to secure triumph in local elections

The far-right Alternative for Germany did better in local elections in Thuringia, an eastern state, but didn't win outright. The party's leader in the region, known for using a Nazi slogan, was recently convicted. The elections happened before a bigger state election on Sept. 1, where the party's local leader, Björn Höcke, plans to run for governor. In the recent elections, the Alternative for Germany gained about 9% more votes compared to 2019, reaching around 26% of the total vote. However, they were still slightly behind the Christian Democratic Union, Germany's main opposition party. Some AfD candidates will have runoff votes on June 9, mostly against CDU rivals. Only in one county, the far-right party had a small lead for the head of the local administration. Thuringia was where AfD first won a county leadership position almost a year ago. Observers think AfD might lose in the runoff votes as supporters of mainstream parties may vote for its rivals. Although AfD has strong support, it has faced challenges recently due to scandals involving its lead candidate for the upcoming European Parliament election. Höcke, a key figure in the party's far right, was fined for using a Nazi slogan in a speech, and his lawyers are appealing the decision.