'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.
The Latest: Exit polls say Merz leads in Germany's election, AfD makes historic gains
German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory. Exit polls also indicate that Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.
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.
Conservatives projected to win German election
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leader of the SPD, said the election results were "bitter" for his party and a "defeat". Speaking to supporters in Berlin, Scholz said "we have to acknowledge we have lost the election".
Germany's Election in Graphics
Germany's election on Sunday delivered a win to the conservative opposition as well as a historic surge in support for the far-right AfD party. Here is a breakdown in graphics showing trends between male and female voters as well as different age groups,
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.
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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
The Latest: Exit polls have been released in Germany election
German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, and early exit poll data shows opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives in the lead. It also indicates that Alternative for Germany is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.
German conservatives win election but far-right AfD surges, exit polls show
Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday, while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result.
Exit polls in Germany's 2025 election give Merz's conservatives lead and put far right on strongest postwar showing
Exit polls show the center-right Christian Democratic Union party leading, with the AfD party heading towards the strongest showing of the far-right since World War II.
Euro rises, stock futures choppy in Asia trade after conservatives win German election
The euro opened higher on Monday while stock futures were volatile as Germany's conservatives won the national election as ...
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 ...
Live updates: Germans vote in crucial election as Europe grapples with a new Trump administration
Four candidates are running to be Germany’s next leader: incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Friedrich Merz, current Vice ...
International reaction to Germany's election
Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next ...
Germany is holding a national election. Here’s what’s at stake
Germans are going to the polls on Sunday for national elections. Opinion polls suggest the outcome will be a new chancellor ...
Exit polls show Merz in the lead while AfD makes historic gains in Germany election
Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded the election and decried the historic gains of the far-right conservative ...
‘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 ...