The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate in Thuringia’s Sonenberg regional election, Robert Zesselmann, received 46.7% of the vote on Sunday and is 11 percentage points ahead of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) candidate, Jurgen Keper.

The two candidates advanced to the second round, which will be held on June 25, when it will be decided whether Germany will elect its first ever far-right female governor.

Mr. Zesselmann is already a member of the Thuringian state parliament for the AfD. In 2018, he was ranked third in his bid to be elected regional governor in Sonenberg.

The AfD organization in Thuringia, led by Björn Hecke, is monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as “clearly right-wing extremist”.

Commenting on the result, the Prime Minister of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelo (Left), expressed his disappointment and spoke of “a serious problem if the polarization that is being observed means that for some voters the process no longer concerns them”.

Ahead of the second round, Mr. Ramelo called for the democrats to “come together and take the floor”, as well as the large international export companies of the region, which the ÁfD candidate described as “undesirable”. The Sonnenberg region “is one of the economically strongest in Thuringia and it would be a problem if it sent the message that international companies are no longer welcome,” the state premier stressed.