Leader of German Greens: State election results mixed bag for party

The co - leader of Germany ' s Greens , Omid Nouripour , has expressed hope that his party may still be part of a future government in the state of Saxony , despite a projected poor showing in state elections there . The Greens are forecast to collect 5 . 3 % to 5 . 5 %, barely over the 5 % threshold required to receive seats in German elections , according to initial forecasts by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF . Over the past five years , the Greens were part of a governing coalition led by the centre - right Christian Democrats ( CDU ) in the eastern state , and Nouripour said the coalition government had done good work . Meanwhile , the Greens are unlikely to take any seats in parliamentary elections in the neighbouring state of Thuringia , where they are projected to fall short of the 5 % threshold . Nouripour said the Greens ' projected result from Sunday ' s vote in Thuringia was painful , but added that he was even more worried about the far - right Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) projected to take first place . " To be honest , my pain tonight is marginal compared to the fact that we have a profound turning point and an openly far - right party has become the strongest force in a state parliament for the first time since 1949 ," he said . That year is when Germany held its first elections after the end of World War II and the defeat of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler ' s regime . dpa hrz xxde era bst Source: The Namibia News Agency