The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made historic gains in a pair of closely watched state elections on Sunday, with initial results giving them a clear victory in Thuringia and in a tight race for first in Saxony. The AfD’s projected win in Thuringia would mark the first time since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II that a far-right party has won a statewide election in the country. In Saxony, the incumbent centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) clung to a razor-thin lead over the AfD in projected results from German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF on Sunday evening. The elect…