BERLIN (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany party says it intends to take power in one of the country's 16 states for the first time this fall.

Joerg Urban, the party's leader in the eastern state of Saxony, told supporters Saturday that there's no way other parties will be able to govern with them after Sept. 1 regional elections.

The party, known by its German acronym AfD, came first in Saxony in last month's European elections and the 2017 national vote , ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats.

German news agency dpa reported that AfD's state election program includes plans to ban the teaching of Islam in Saxony's schools.

Far-right parties have long been stronger in Saxony, particularly outside big cities such as Dresden and Leipzig, than the national average.