BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party is ruling out working with a far-right rival that took a quarter of the vote in two regional elections Sunday.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, said Monday that the outcome in the eastern state of Saxony was a "difficult result."

The CDU received 32.1% of the vote, against 27.5% for the far-right Alternative for Germany. The environmentalist Green party stands the strongest chance of partnering with the Union, an option polls suggest would also be most likely at the national level if there were a general election.

Alternative for Germany received its strongest support from men in rural areas. That trend was mirrored in neighboring Brandenburg state, where it took 23.5%, coming behind the center-left Social Democrats who took 26.2%.