The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged mainstream parties not to side with the far-right Alternative for Germany ‘AfD’ party.
They won in the east German state of Thuringia, with almost a third of the vote and a nine point lead over the conservative CDU party.
The far right party also came a close second in neighbouring Saxony in Sunday’s other big state election.
This is the first time the far-right has won a state parliament election since the second world war.
