2 weeks ago
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Provisional results confirmed that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany’s national election, while Alternative for Germany nearly doubled its support, the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.
Here’s what to know:
- What happens next? Sunday’s election only determined who would be elected to parliament. Now, the winner, Merz, must put together a coalition government. While he vowed to move quickly, it wasn’t immediately clear how easy that will be.
- How reliable are exit polls? The polls have a very good record. The AP has reviewed the methodologies of these polls and approved these exit polls for use in our reporting. Unless the result is extremely close, the overall picture is generally clear very early.
- Merz claims victory: Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory after exit polls showed his bloc in the lead. Merz said he was aware of the dimension of the task he faces and said that “it will not be easy.” Merz said he aims to put together a governing coalition as quickly as possible.
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