German exit polls suggest far-right party has big lead in regional election
BERLIN —
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party → suggest → election
Germany's far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland, or Alternative for Germany, (AfD) has won the most votes in the closely watched regional election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt according to exit polls.
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Alternative → win → polls
Projections show the party is comfortably ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), but it remains unclear whether the AfD will win enough seats to secure a majority in the state parliament.
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AfD → show → parliament
According to exit polls released on Sunday by German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF the AfD is on course to win a record 44.1% to 44.5% of the vote.
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AfD → accord → vote
The Christian Democratic Union is projected to take 18.5%.
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Union → project → %
The AfD won 20.8% in the 2021 regional election.
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AfD → win → election
If the projections are accurate, the CDU has halved its share of voters while the AfD doubled theirs.
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AfD → halve → theirs
If the AfD succeeds in forming a government, it would mark the first time in Germany's postwar history that the far-right has taken control of a state government.
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right → succeed → government
The party's anti-establishment appeal is no longer confined to eastern Germany; at the federal level, the party is also polling first.
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party → confine → level
A win in Saxony-Anhalt would be a major breakthrough for a party that has been classified as right-wing extremist by domestic intelligence authorities in several German states.
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that → classify → states
Speaking to public broadcaster ZDF, AfD federal leader Alice Weidel said Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives will never win another election.
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conservatives → speak → election
"We are seeing explosive growth here," she said, referring to Saxony-Anhalt.
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she → see → Anhalt
"We are going to see explosive growth across all of East Germany — and at the federal level, too."
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We → go → level
In his videos, he is dressed in a flawlessly ironed white polo shirt or starched white dress shirt — the uniform of Germany's newly professionalized far-right.
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he → dress → right
His carefully coiffed side parting is as immaculate as his smile, something that distinguishes him from the rest of his party, whose members tend to grimace rather than grin.
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members → coif → party
But Siegmund's broad smile rarely cracks, even when he speaks about the party's biggest issue, immigration and the mass deportation of migrants.
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he → crack → migrants
Siegmund has campaigned for mass deportations and changes to migration and education policy.
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Siegmund → campaign → policy
The AfD has also called for changes to the region's public broadcaster and closer relations with Russia and the MAGA movement in the United States.
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AfD → call → States
After the result, Siegmund declared: "We have made history in this country."
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We → declare → country
"This isn't just about Saxony-Anhalt," he told supporters, "It's a signal for the whole of Germany - a self-confident signal."
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It → tell → Germany
On Sunday evening, President Trump posted a screenshot of the projected election results on Truth Social.
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Trump → post → Social
Trump's post was retweeted by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who described the result as a "historic win."
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who → retweete → win
The AfD has called for an end to support for Ukraine and seeking to revoke the refugee protections currently granted to Ukrainians.
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AfD → call → Ukrainians
Elon Musk also tweeted his congratulations.
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Musk → tweet → congratulations
In response, Ulrich Siegmund thanked Musk for his "support" and "clear and highly important perspective on the political developments of our time.
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Siegmund → thank → time
But neighboring Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took a very different view,
posting on X that "In Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD in Germany."
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idiots → neighbor → Germany
France's Europe Minister, Benjamin Haddad described the election results as a "grave moment in Europe."
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Minister → describe → Europe
The Aporia
