The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, known for its right-wing stance, is projected to secure its first electoral victory since its establishment in 2013. This success is attributed to the surge in anti-immigration sentiment among voters. Exit polls conducted on Sunday indicated that the AfD garnered a substantial 33.5% of the vote in Thuringia and 31.5% in Saxony. In contrast, the center-left Social Democratic Party, the party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, obtained less than 8% of the vote in both states, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This electoral outcome aligns with a broader trend observed across Europe in recent months, where conservative groups have achieved notable successes. Notably, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly averted a conservative takeover of the French parliament earlier this year.

Analysts suggest that the ultimate impact of the AfD and other similar political parties will hinge on the willingness of centrist parties to collaborate with them.

“The center-right will determine to what extent an AfD win would be a turning point: So far, they have been relatively consistent in excluding cooperation — more so than in other Western European countries,” Manès Weisskircher, a political scientist at the Dresden University of Technology, told the Journal.

These weekend elections come shortly after a Syrian immigrant carried out a stabbing attack in Solingen, Germany, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. ISIS claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack shortly after the incident.

German federal prosecutors identified the suspect as Issa Al H., omitting his family name due to German privacy laws.

ISIS asserted that the attacker targeted Christians “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”

Der Spiegel magazine, citing unnamed security sources, reported that the suspect had arrived in Germany in late 2022 and sought asylum.

Similar attacks perpetrated by across Europe have fueled anti-immigration sentiment. Even Chancellor Scholz, known for his left-leaning views, advocated for strengthening immigration laws and accelerating deportations in response to the attack.

“We will have to do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported,” Scholz stated while visiting the site of the stabbing.

“This was terrorism, terrorism against us all,” he added.

‘ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report