The leader of the Central Council of Jews in Germany has said he is "appalled" as projections show the Alternative for Germany (AfD) winning a historic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
"The outcome of the election is still uncertain, but one thing is already clear: a party classified as confirmed far-right is just a hair's breadth away from forming a single-party government in a German federal state," Josef Schuster told Die Welt newspaper on Sunday.
"I am personally appalled by this election result," he added, explaining that the party's manifesto positions have been clear for months.
The party's manifesto includes setting up a task force to speed up deportations, reviving school exchanges with Russia, creating segregated classes for the children of asylum-seekers and banning rainbow flags in schools.
"Those who voted for them today - despite or because of these goals - bear responsibility for this result," Schuster said.
Schuster said he feared the AfD's influence on education policy.
"The damage that the so-called Alternative for Germany would now cause if it were to assume responsibility is immense," he said, calling education the most important cornerstone for maintaining an open society and combating anti-Semitism.