Despite coming in second to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia, members of Germany's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) said they have a mandate to form the next government.

The state leader of the CDU, Mario Voigt, said the election results signaled a need for political change in the state.

"As the CDU, we see this as an opportunity for political change under the leadership of the CDU," Voigt said in the state capital of Erfurt.

The CDU plans to lead coalition talks to form a "sensible government in Thuringia under the leadership of the CDU," Voigt said, adding that he would approach the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who are projected to finish in fifth place, while expressing openness to working with the new left-wing populist party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

Voigt reiterated his party's rejection of a coalition with the far-right populist AfD.