BERLIN, June 25 (Reuters) - A far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate won a vote on Sunday to become a district leader in Europe's biggest economy for the first time, a breakthrough for the party which has hit record highs in national polls.
The 10-year old AfD, with which Germany's mainstream parties officially refuse to cooperate due to its radical views, won a run-off vote in the Sonneberg district in the eastern state of Thuringia with its candidate garnering 52.8% of the vote.
While far-right parties have gained ground around Europe, the strength of the AfD is particularly sensitive in Germany due to the country's Nazi past.
The conservative candidate won 47.2% on Sunday.
The domestic intelligence agency said this month that far-right extremism posed the biggest threat to democracy in Germany and warned voters about backing the AfD.
Persons:
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Josef Schuster, Robert Sesselmann, Sonneberg, Sesselmann, Madeline Chambers, Chizu
Organizations:
Social, Greens and Free Democrats, Central Council of, Communist, Moscow, Thomson
Locations:
BERLIN, Germany, Europe's, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Europe, Nazi, Berlin, Ukraine