BERLIN 

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was on track to win a state election for the first time on Sunday, according to exit polls by public broadcaster ARD.

The anti-immigrant AfD was seen winning 30.5% of the vote in the eastern state of Thuringia, about 6% ahead of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU).

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) were predicted to win only 7%, one of their worst ever election results in this state. Their coalition partners – the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats – were below the 5% threshold necessary for entry into the state parliament.

The newly formed left-wing populist party, Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), was expected to get 16%, and become the third-largest group in the state parliament.

In the neighboring state of Saxony, a neck-and-neck race was underway, with exit polls showing that 30% voted for the far-right AfD compared to 31.5% who voted for the Christian Democrats.

Scholz's left-liberal coalition government was braced for heavy losses here as well, amid growing voter discontent with the government's Ukraine policy, costly energy reforms, and concerns about irregular migration.

Exit polls put the Social Democrats at around 8.5%, with the Greens at 5.5%, and the Free Democrats below 2%.

Sahra Wagenknecht's left-wing BSW party was expected to win about 12% of votes.

Sunday's vote in the two eastern states was widely seen as a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his left-liberal coalition government ahead of next year's federal elections.

Exit polls showed that most voters were concerned about their economic welfare and were demanding stronger measures from authorities to stop irregular migration and address domestic security threats.