German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz celebrates with Bavarian state premier and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Markus Soeder after the exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 23. Reuters-Yonhap

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was the clear winner of Sunday's parliamentary election in the states that make up the former East Germany, highlighting lasting divisions almost a quarter of a century since the country was reunified.

According to projections, the AfD won 34 percent of the vote in eastern Germany, consisting of five states and the eastern half of Berlin.

The anti-immigration party, which is being monitored by domestic intelligence as a suspected far-right extremist group, had almost double the tally of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, on 17.8 percent in eastern Germany.

At the national level, Friedrich Merz's center- right alliance — made up of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU) — is set to take power after winning 28.5 percent of the nationwide vote, with the AfD finishing second on 20.6 percent.

The AfD's stunning success in eastern Germany, coming off the back of a historic victory in a state election in Thuringia last year, reflects the discontent felt by many residents at the difficult process of German reunification since 1990.

The Left, a successor to the Socialist Unity Party which ruled the former German Democratic Republic, came third in eastern Germany on Sunday with 13.2 percent of the vote.

The populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, which split off from The Left last year to run a populist, anti-immigrant campaign, also performed strongly on 10.2 percent.

The trio of parties that formed Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government until last November saw their share of the vote plummet after an unhappy term in office marked by the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic, high inflation and the war in Ukraine.

Scholz's Social Democrats fell to 11.3 percent, with the Greens on 6.8 percent and the pro-business Free Democrats on 3.3 percent. (DPA)