AfD is the big gainer in Thuringia election, doubling previous statewide vote
By Carolyn Yeager
Alternative für Deutschland Thuringia went from 12.8% of the vote total five years ago to 23.4% on Sunday, with all districts reporting. No other party came close to such an advance. Merkel's CDU (Christian Democrats) was the biggest loser, down 11.7%, from the last election! It's pretty clear the AfD took their new voters away from the CDU.
Nearly 65% of the state's eligible voters cast ballots in Sunday's election compared to 53% five years ago.
