BERLIN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Following the surprise election of Thuringia's new state Prime Minister Thomas Kemmerich of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with the support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Wednesday, Kemmerich announced his resignation on Thursday.
"The resignation is unavoidable," Kemmerich said in Erfurt on Thursday. Germany's main parties have been shunning AfD.
The FDP faction in Thuringia intends to file a motion to dissolve the state parliament in order to bring about a new election.
National FDP leader Christian Lindner has also announced his intention to raise the question of trust as party leader after the events surrounding the election of Thuringia's prime minister.
"I can continue the office, but there is a question of trust in the (party) presidium tomorrow," Lindner said, referring to the need to legitimize the federal party leadership.
Immediately after Kemmerich's election on Wednesday, leading politicians of most German parties have sharply criticized the process and called for new elections in Thuringia.
During her visit to South Africa, German Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party described Kemmerich's AfD-backed election as "unforgivable" and called for the election result to be reversed.
Breaking the habit of not talking about domestic German political issues during a state visit to another country, Merkel stressed that the CDU was not allowed to participate in a potential coalition government with the AfD in the state of Thuringia.
"It is a bad day for democracy," Merkel said, explaining that the local party had broken with the CDU's "fundamental belief".
