Voters in the German city of Dresden rejoiced after Chancellor Angela Merkel was mauled at the polls on Sunday.
Speaking to Deutsche Welle, a woman said: “Someone has to take action. Nothing changes and nobody is satisfied with Mrs Merkel.”
The Chancellor was returned to the Bundestag with the worst results her conservative party had in almost 70 years.
A man protesting the results said: “At last an opposition in parliament that will oppose the Government.”
The Free State of Saxony saw right-wing Alternative fur Deutschland reach unexpected results, with citizens casting 23.3 percent of their votes in favour of the AfD against Mrs Merkel‘s CDU 23.1 percent.
AfD Saxony representative Julien Weseman said: “Voters in Saxony have sent a clear signal they are unhappy with Mrs Merkel policies and with the grand coalition. They want change!
“It will be a big challenge for the AfD to implement what these voters want and change politics in Germany.”
Shortly after the results, AfD co-leader Frauke Petrie announced she would not sit with her party in the Bundestag lower house but would instead serve as an independent member of Parliament.
Mrs Petrie, who led the party’s more moderate wing, claimed AfD had become too “anarchical” and “could not offer a credible platform.”
Germany will now face months of uncertainty as Mrs Merkel attempts to form a coalition that would allow her to form a new government.
After the result, people within her own CDU party and its sister organisation the CSU slammed Mrs Merkel accusing her of fuelling the right-wing rise, particularly over her decision to take in so many refugees during Europe’s 2015 migration crisis.