The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the strongest force across the former communist East Germany when it comes to the European elections, according to projections from public broadcaster ARD.
The AfD is projected to place second nationwide, boosted by a particularly strong showing in the former eastern states, where projections showed voters turning to the AfD and other populists.
ARD's projections showed the AfD with 27.1% of the vote in the states of former East Germany, including the capital Berlin.
In second place was the conservative Christian Democratic Union with 20.7%, followed by the upstart populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) with 13.1%, according to the projections. The BSW combines left–wing social policy with an anti-immigrant stance and criticism of the European Union.