The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) unexpectedly failed to win its second district administrator position in the central state of Thuringia on Sunday. In the closely watched race in the rural Saale-Orla district near the Czech border, AfD candidate Uwe Thrum and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate Christian Herrgott faced each other in a run-off election. Although Thrum went into the run-off as the favourite, Herrgott won the post with 52.4% of the vote, against Thrum’s 47.6%. The vote in Thuringia took place amidst a backdrop of growing unease about extremist tendencies in the …