By Miranda Murray and Kirsti Knolle
BERLIN, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party on the cusp of power at state level for the first time since World War Two.
The AfD won 44.5% of the vote, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives trailing well behind on 18.5%, and the centre-left Social Democrats and environmental Greens both clearing the minimum threshold to enter parliament, according to an exit poll from the ARD broadcaster.
"We have made history in this country," said Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old AfD lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, who drew thousands to his campaign rallies and who repeatedly cast victory in the state as a first step towards securing national power in federal elections due in 2029.
The result marks a major advance in the AfD's push for national power and a significant setback for Merz's coalition government, although it remained unclear whether the party would be able to form a state government. Turnout was around 76%, well above levels typically seen in state elections.
Much could depend on whether the left-wing populist BSW party, a potential AfD coalition partner, could also clear the threshold. Exit polls showed it just above or just below it.
The AfD party's co-leader Alice Weidel hailed an "historic" result which had given the AfD a clear mandate to govern but it was not immediately clear whether it would be able to form a government.
State premier Sven Schulze congratulated the AfD and acknowledged the result showed it was the strongest party.
If the AfD is unable to rule outright, it could trigger a protracted process of coalition building by mainstream parties who are determined to keep a party under investigation for right-wing extremism by Germany's domestic intelligence service out of power.
The AfD's programme includes plans to push schools and cultural institutions towards more traditional values, curb immigration and overhaul public broadcasting.
HARD LINE ON MIGRATION
While hard right parties have gained ground elsewhere in Europe, Germany's Nazi past has contributed to a reluctance among mainstream parties to cooperate with the AfD, which wants a hard line on migration and warmer ties with Russia.
The AfD has dismissed accusations of extremism as scaremongering and an insult to the party's millions of supporters.
Sunday's result is another blow to the authority of Merz, whose popularity has sagged as his coalition government struggles to revive growth in Europe's largest economy.
In a fracturing political landscape, the AfD is now Germany's most popular party nationally, though other parties have ruled out forging coalitions with the AfD in a policy known as the "firewall".
Nina Warken, a senior conservative, called Sunday's result a turning point for the country.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by James Mackenzie and Ros Russell)
