Germany's mainstream political parties were sharply rebuffed on Sunday when voters in two regional elections in formerly communist East Germany handed extremists their best results in years.

Early estimates showed the far-right National Democratic party (NPD) had won 9.4 per cent of the vote in the state of Saxony, almost eclipsing the Social Democratic party (SPD) of Gerhard Schröder, chancellor. The SPD polled just below 10 per cent - the lowest result in the party's 140-year history.