{"id":17973,"date":"2025-02-23T20:38:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T20:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/23\/german-conservatives-to-win-election-far-right-afd-in-2nd-exit-polls-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T20:38:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T20:38:10","slug":"german-conservatives-to-win-election-far-right-afd-in-2nd-exit-polls-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/23\/german-conservatives-to-win-election-far-right-afd-in-2nd-exit-polls-national\/","title":{"rendered":"German conservatives to win election, far-right AfD in 2nd: exit polls – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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German<\/a> opposition leader Friedrich Merz\u2019s conservatives were on course for a lackluster victory in a national election<\/a> Sunday, while Alternative for Germany<\/a> nearly doubled its support, the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II, projections showed.<\/p>\n

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Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat for his center-left Social Democrats after what he called \u201ca bitter election result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Projections for ARD and ZDF public television showed his party finishing in third place with its worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election.<\/p>\n

Merz vowed to move quickly to put together a coalition government. But that\u2019s likely to be a complicated task.<\/p>\n

The election took place seven months earlier than originally planned after Scholz\u2019s unpopular coalition collapsed in November, three years into a term that was increasingly marred by infighting. There was widespread discontent and not much enthusiasm for any of the candidates.<\/p>\n

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The campaign was dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe\u2019s biggest economy and pressure to curb migration \u2014 something that caused friction after Merz pushed hard in recent weeks for a tougher approach. It took place against a background of growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe\u2019s alliance with the United States.<\/p>\n

Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of NATO. It has been Ukraine\u2019s second-biggest weapons supplier, after the U.S. It will be central to shaping the continent\u2019s response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration\u2019s confrontational foreign and trade policy.<\/p>\n

The projections, based on exit polls and partial counting, put support for Merz\u2019s Union bloc around 28.5% and the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, about 20.5% \u2014 roughly double its result from 2021.<\/p>\n

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They put support for Scholz\u2019s Social Democrats at just over 16%, far lower than in the last election and below their previous all-time low of 20.5% from 2017. The environmentalist Greens, their remaining partners in the outgoing government, were on a little over 12%.<\/p>\n

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Out of three smaller parties, one \u2014 the hard-left Left Party \u2014 strengthened its position, winning up to 9% of the vote after a remarkable comeback. Two other parties, the pro-business Free Democrats \u2014 who were the third party in the collapsed government \u2014 and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, hovered around the threshold of the 5% support needed to win seats.<\/p>\n

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Whether Merz will have a majority to form a coalition with Scholz\u2019s Social Democrats or need a second partner too will depend on how many parties get into parliament. The conservative leader said that \u201cthe most important thing is to re-establish a viable government in Germany as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am aware of the responsibility,\u201d Merz said. \u201cI am also aware of the scale of the task that now lies ahead of us. I approach it with the utmost respect, and I know that it will not be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world out there isn\u2019t waiting for us, and it isn\u2019t waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations,\u201d he told cheering supporters.<\/p>\n

The Greens\u2019 candidate for chancellor, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, said that Merz would do well to moderate his tone after a hard-fought campaign.<\/p>\n