German election: Social Democrats edge ahead of Merkel's party - BBC News
The result is tight - both the centre-left and the conservatives say they will try to form a coalition.
Far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) top candidate Alice Weidel said her party had done well Image caption: Far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) top candidate Alice Weidel said her party had done well

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is on course to win the largest share of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony, according to preliminary results.

So far, the party has won more than 28% of second votes (which show voters' party preference) in the state, well ahead of the SPD with 19%.

The AfD has also performed well in the neighbouring state of Thuringia, with 24% of the second votes (slightly ahead of the SPD on 23%).

In recent years the AfD has tended to do well in eastern Germany.

The AfD has managed to woo voters from the centre-right and even the centre-left with its emphasis on Islam and migration. Those issues have galvanised some voters, especially men with nationalist attitudes.

But on a national level, the party's share of the vote in this election is projected to be lower than the last one in 2017, when it received almost 13%.

Earlier Alice Weidel, one of the party's top candidates, said considering the negative media treatment of the AfD, the party had done well.

"We are in the double figures, we have been able to assert ourselves," she said.

All the other parties likely to be represented in the Bundestag have long ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD.