Two more depart amid row over AfD's role in German state premier's election

There have been further resignations in the aftermath of Thomas Kemmerich's surprise election as state premier in Thuringia.

The government's commissioner for eastern Germany, Christian Hirte, also a junior minister, was effectively sacked by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after he congratulated Kemmerich, a liberal who was elected by regional MPs including those of the far-right AfD .

Kemmerich's election sent shockwaves through German politics. He beat the previous post holder, the left-wing Die Linke party's leader Bodo Ramelow, by one vote.

But amid an outcry and Merkel calling the result "unforgivable," the Free Democrats leader stepped down a day later, saying it was "unavoidable" to "remove the stain of the AfD's support from the office of the premiership."

Mainstream parties have always refused to work with the anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-EU AfD and no state premier had previously been elected with votes from the far-right.

This now opens up a fresh election in Thuringia, something that Germany's coalition partners have backed in a joint statement "For reasons of political legitimacy, the coalition of a new premier, fresh elections need to take place in Thuringia."

The regional Christian Democratic Union leader, Mike Mohring has also announced he will be resigning after aligning with the AfD, which happened despite CDU party leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's specific plea for him not to.

German media said the SPD - coalition partners with Merkel's CDU at the national level - had demanded Kemmerich's resignation as a condition for remaining in the coalition.

(CGTN)