BERLIN — Friedrich Merz’s conservative alliance has won Germany’s national parliamentary election, according to exit polls as the far-right recorded its highest ever showing.
The conservatives, consisting of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are expected to finish far ahead of all other parties with 29 percent, according to the poll.
Sunday’s vote saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) — a party with strong anti-migration and pro-Russia stances — come second on 19.5 percent, the exit poll said. It was its best result in a national election in Europe’s most powerful country, sending shock waves through the continent.
First projections of the outcome based on early voter counts will begin filtering through shortly after the exit poll. Near-final results should be confirmed before midnight in Berlin.