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.
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.
Conservatives win German election - as far-right AfD makes historic gains and Olaf Scholz's SPD collapses, projections show
Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, has said "from tomorrow we start working" on forming a government as the far-right AfD won its best-ever results.
German election results 2025 - live: Exit poll predicts CDU win as far-right AfD surges
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the elections after chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence on 15 January – after losing the support of his coalition when he fired finance minister Christian Lindner amid tensions over economic policy.
Conservative Friedrich Merz declared snap German election winner
Millions of Germans are deciding the next chancellor in snap elections Sunday with the center-right Christian Democratic Union party widely projected to win and its candidate Friedrich Merz installed as the top official.
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.
German election 2025 - live: Exit poll expected soon with all eyes on far-right after pivotal vote
Last month, he brought a nonbinding motion calling for many more migrants to be turned back at Germany's borders to parliament. The motion was approved thanks to votes from AfD – marking a first in post-war Germany which prompted opponents to accuse Mr Merz of breaking a taboo. He rejects the criticism.
LIVE
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 party, AfD. Early exit polls show AfD is headed for second place, while opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives are in the lead and Scholz’s party fell to third.
What’s next after Merz’s conservatives win German election
Far right comes second, getting best result in a postwar national vote in Germany, sending shock waves across Europe.
German election: Conservatives emerge as largest party
Exit polls show the center-right CDU/CSU bloc has won 29% of the vote in snap elections, with the far-right AfD coming second.
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 Election Live Updates: CDU's Friedrich Merz claims victory, Scholz concedes defeat
The conservative CDU/CSU is projected to lead the new German parliament with around 29 per cent of the vote, positioning ...
Economy, immigration, Elon Musk at center of German election; conservative candidate favored to win
Germans go to the polls Sunday. Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats are likely to lose to the conservative CDU party, as the ...
International reaction to German election
Germany's opposition conservatives won a national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next ...
German election: Voters turn out to decide next government
Polls have opened in Germany's parliamentary election that was brought forward by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz' ...