Germany's far-right AfD loses tight mayoral race in Thuringia

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has failed to claim the party's first mayoral post in a major German town, according to preliminary results from Nordhausen in the state of Thuringia.

Incumbent mayor Kai Buchmann succeeded in a surprise win over AfD candidate Jörg Prophet in a run-off election on Sunday, after Prophet had been widely favoured to win in the run-up to the vote.

According to the results, Buchmann garnered 54.9% of the vote while Prophet won 45.1% in the neck and neck race. Voter turnout was 59.3%.

Nordhausen is a district town in the north of Thuringia with a population of around 42,000. In the first round of the mayoral election, voter turnout was 56.4%.

Prophet conceded defeat on Sunday evening in a press statement referring to himself in the third person: "We have a new mayor. Mr Prophet has become number two in this election."

The vote count was accompanied by applause in the Nordhausen council chamber whenever Buchmann's lead increased. When the result was announced, prolonged cheers broke out.

The anti-immigrant and anti-refugee AfD was thus unable to continue its winning streak in local elections in eastern Germany.

Since the end of June, the AfD has won one district council election in Thuringia and one mayoral election in the state of Saxony-Anhalt for the small town of Raguhn-Jessnitz, which has a population under 9,000.

The first was in the Sonneberg district in southern Thuringia, where AfD politician Robert Sesselmann was elected as the AfD's first district administrator. His election had caused discussion and concern nationwide.

In Thuringia, the AfD and its leader Björn Höcke is classified by the state's domestic intelligence service, or the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as proven right-wing extremist and is being monitored.

The populist party has traditionally been on the fringes of German politics.

Recent polls have shown a surge of support for the AfD, especially in the former communist eastern regions of Germany.

The growing strength of the AfD in the country has raised alarm among many who view the party as extremist, anti-democratic and xenophobic.