Merz claims win for German conservatives as far right surges to strongest postwar election result

[Celerity]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/23/europe/german-election-results-cdu-afd-intl/index.html



Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power with the far-right Alternative for Germany as second-largest party, exit polls show, after snap elections dominated by concerns over immigration, the economy and the return of Donald Trump.

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If the exit poll stands, the CDU will claim 28.6% of the vote in Sunday’s election, meaning Merz – an old-school conservative who has never held a government role previously – will become the new chancellor of Germany, Europe’s biggest economy and most populous state.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second, according to the exit poll, with an unprecedented 20.4%, meaning the party – once on the fringes as officially suspected of extremism now a major political force. However it faces exclusion from government by other parties, due to what is known as a “firewall” arrangement.

The mood at the AfD election party was ecstatic as it emerged that the party had almost doubled its support, with people cheering and waving Germany flags. Party co-leader Alice Weidel took to the stage to tell cheering crowds that the AfD had “never been stronger.”



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