The far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election on Sunday, in a major blow to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right party, the Christian Democratic Union.
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party → project → party
Merz's party was projected to be hit with a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
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party → project → Anhalt
AfD had sought to form the country’s first far-right state government since the end of World War II in 1945, although it was not immediately clear whether it would be able to fulfill that ambition.
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it → seek → ambition
Ulrich Siegmund, AfD's anti-migration candidate for governor, said that "we have written history."
Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a message that "things cannot carry on like this," adding that it was "also a signal toward Berlin."
"A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz.
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campaigner → say → campaign
Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many," he said of Germany's unpopular leader.
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he → say → leader
The election comes amid widespread public discontent with the national government, which has yet to convince many voters it can get the country's sluggish economy back on track.
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it → come → track
AfD aimed for an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with it.
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AfD → aim → it
But it was unclear long after polls closed whether that goal would become reality.
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goal → close → ?
It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall ...
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that → want → euro
it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model," said Franziska Hoppermann, the national general-secretary of Merz's party.
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Hoppermann → work → party
"We will not work with them.
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We → work → them
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Achieving its first state government would be the biggest victory in the anti-migration party’s 13-year history.
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Achieving → achieve → history
Regardless of whether AfD forms its own government, the projected result is still a blow to Merz, whose center-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years.
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party → form → years
Unlike several other European countries, modern Germany has not had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.
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Germany → have → government
AfD is the largest opposition party in Germany’s national parliament and is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east, where Saxony-Anhalt sits.
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Anhalt → sit → east
Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group by the domestic intelligence agency, which cites members' disparagement of migrants from Muslim countries among other things.
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which → classify → things
The party promotes "remigration," which pushes for the deportation of immigrants.
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which → promote → immigrants
Siegmund has said his top priorities include "a deportation offensive" and ending incentives for people to come to Germany and "exploit our social system."
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people → say → system
He also wants to initiate a process to pull Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster over allegations of "disinformation."
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He → want → disinformation
Germany’s 16 states have extensive powers, including overseeing security matters and running the education system.
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states → have → system
An AfD leader in a neighboring state appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan.
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leader → neighbor → slogan
The party has pushed back on accusations of extremism as politically motivated.
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party → push → extremism
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and partial counting, have AfD at just over 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.
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Projections → base → Berlin
Merz's Christian Democratic Union was significantly behind, polling 18% and losing about half its support.
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Union → poll → support
The Left Party, the center-left Social Democrats and Greens were seen polling around 9% each.
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Party → see → %
It was unclear whether the BSW party would reach the 5% of the vote needed to win seats.
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party → reach → seats
The projections put AfD at least marginally short of an absolute majority for now, but that could change.
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that → put → majority
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Press → contribute → report
The Aporia
