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'We have won the election': Germany's conservative leaders celebrate as far-right takes second place
On 23 February, Germany will vote to decide who will run their next federal government. There’s five candidates running to be chancellor – the frontrunner is Friedrich Mertz from the Christian Democrat party. In Germany, a single party rarely wins the majority of seats in the Bundestag, meaning coalition governments often form.
Germany’s far-right AfD still faces limits, despite election success
The success of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is a sign of the times. Across Europe, far-right parties once on the fringe have gone mainstream.
German conservatives lead election with far-right AfD in second place, exit polls show
Polls are open across Germany as the world’s third largest economy chooses a new leader to guide it through an era of febrile immigration debates and souring relations with Washington.
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Conservatives head for German election victory but far-right AfD set for second place, exit polls say
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is poised to become the second biggest political force, ahead of Olaf Scholz's centre-left party Some 59.2 million Germans are eligible to vote, and while millions already have by post, polls indicate as many as 20% were undecided ahead of election day
Conservatives heading to victory in German election; far right surges
The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.
German Election results in full: Conservative victor Merz faces battle to form coalition as far-right AfD waits in wings
The map above shows the 2025 election results, and the one below shows the 2021 results. It's official: Friedrich Merz 's conservatives won the German election. But it could take weeks for the likely chancellor to weather through messy coalition talks and form a government -- particularly since Merz said he won't work with the party who came in second place.
'We have won the election': Germany's conservative leaders celebrate as far-right projected to take second place
Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now on course to win 20.5% of the vote, according to latest projections - but there is no way Friedrich Merz will work with it because of a long-standing political taboo against working with the far right, known as a Brandmauer - a firewall.
Christian Democrats claim victory in German election; far right surges
The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.
Germany's conservatives win election but hard coalition talks loom
Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday but a fractured vote handed the far-right Alternative for Germany its best ever result in second place and left conservative leader Friedrich Merz facing messy coalition talks.
'Next time we'll come first': German far-right celebrates breakthrough
For the first time since the Second World War, a far-right party has come second in a German national election, a result that ...
Merz claims win for German conservatives as far right surges to strongest postwar election result
Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power with the far-right Alternative for Germany ...
Exclusive: Alice Weidel on Her Far-Right AfD Party’s Rise, Elon Musk’s Support, and the German Election
The leading candidate, Friedrich Merz, a conservative who has adopted many of the AfD’s hard-line positions on immigration, ...
Germany’s Far-Right Targets Victory Next Time After Breakthrough
The far-right Alternative for Germany vaulted into second place on Sunday after about a fifth of voters cast their ballot for ...
What is the AfD, the far-right German party supported by Vance and Musk?
Concern is growing over the far-right Alternative for Germany party’s rise ahead of the German election. Its U.S. supporters ...
In German election, centre-right claims win, centre-left concedes, and far-right makes big gains
German opposition leader Friedrich Merz's conservatives were on course for a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday ...
Firewall? Why the Far Right Is Unlikely to Join Germany’s Next Government
The collective shunning of the AfD party is part of a longstanding attempt to blunt its move into the mainstream.
‘Make Germany great again’: Far-right party could see historic gains in election
Alternative for Germany appears to be headed for the strongest showing by a far-right party since World War II in Sunday’s ...