Far-Right AfD party set to come second in German elections

Conservatives claim victory as Scholz ousted

- By Allister Hagger

CONSERVATIVE leader Friedrich Merz was last night in pole position to become Germany's next Chancellor as he claimed victory in yesterday's general election.

But Alternative for Germany had the strongest showing for a far-Right party in the country since World War II. The party, with its high-profile backers like Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, secured about 20% of the vote.

This was roughly double its result from 2021, initial projections showed.

The AfD's Alice Weidel declared: “We have become the second-strongest force.”

Her co-leader Tino Chrupalla told cheering supporters: “We have achieved something historic today.

“We have gained 100%. We are now the political centre and we have left the fringes behind us.”

Bitter

Mr Merz's Christian Democratic Union of Germany party was projected to take around 30% in the high-turnout election. He vowed to form a coalition government quickly but it was unclear how.