German state elections: Far right leads in Thuringia exit poll, centre-right ahead in Saxony – as it happened

Supporters of the far-right AfD wave German flags, including one adorned with an Iron Cross at a final rally in Erfurt on Saturday before Thuringia headed to the polls on Sunday. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

7.10pm BST

Summary of the day

• Voters went to the polls in two closely watched state elections in eastern Germany.

• A far-right party became the biggest force in a German state parliament for the first time since the second world war, exit polls showed.

• Exit polls put the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in the lead in Thuringia, and second place in Saxony.

• Alice Weidel, the AfD’s co-leader, said: “It is a historic success for us. It is the first time we have become the strongest force in a state election. It is a requiem for this coalition [in Berlin].”

• The leftwing but socially conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance is set to come in third place in both states, and could prove key in talks on forming governments.

• The results in Saxony and Thuringia proved disastrous for the three ruling parties in chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left-led federal government.

Read more here.

Updated at 7.11pm BST

7.00pm BST

And the updated ZDF exit poll for Saxony:

Christian Democratic Union (CDU): 31.7%

Alternative für Deutschland (AfD): 31.4%

Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW): 11.5%

Social Democratic party (SPD): 7.5%