Germany's conservatives win election as far-right AfD leaps to second place, exit polls show
The Christian Democratic Union and its allied Christian Social Union secured the largest share of votes in the German federal election, exit polls show.
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 as second-largest party, exit polls show, after snap elections dominated by concerns over immigration,
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.
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.
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.
LIVE
Conservatives head for German election victory as far-right AfD set for second place, exit polls say
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), says the election results are "bitter" for his party, calling it a "defeat". As a reminder, the exit polls showed the SPD coming in third, with 16-16.5% of the vote.
German conservatives win election but far-right AfD surges, exit polls show
Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result, projections showed.
Germany’s Merz claims victory for his conservatives as exit polls put far right on strong showing
The center-right opposition is favored to win, while polls point to the strongest result for a far-right party since World War II
'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.
Voters shift to the right in German election
The conservative Christian Democratic Union won a plurality in the Bundestag, exit polls suggested Feb. 23, while the far-right AfD came in second.
The latest polls ahead of Germany’s snap election
The margin of error for individual polls is estimated from the poll’s sample size and the number of eligible German voters ...
The Latest: Polls open in Germany in crucial general election
German citizens aged 18 and up can vote. At least 59.2 million people in the nation of 84 million are eligible, about 2.3 ...
German election as it happened: Friedrich Merz set to become chancellor
Germany’s centre-right leader Friedrich Merz won federal elections on Sunday, clearing his path to become Chancellor at a ...
German Election Live Updates: Exit polls out; CDU/CSU projected winner of crucial polls
This important election has galvanised voters, and campaigning resumed on Saturday evening with a final discussion on ...
Factbox-What kind of coalition government could Germany have after the election?
Germany may face months of uncertainty after the CDU/CSU conservative bloc won the national election but with no clear option for forming a government amid a fragmented political landscape. With as ...
Germany’s election winner pledges ‘independence from US’
Germany’s Friedrich Merz promised to “achieve independence” from the US after his centre-right bloc won federal elections, ...