AfD triples its result in North Rhine-Westphalia

According to initial projections, the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia brought an unpleasant surprise for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's four-month-old coalition government.

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won 16.5 percent of the vote, according to a poll conducted by Infratest Dimap for broadcaster ARD – more than triple its 2020 result.

Merz's conservatives (CDU/CSU) maintained their lead with 34 percent, while the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) fell from 24.3 to 22.5 percent. Exact figures are not expected until Monday.

The new coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD is accused by critics of failing to respond to economic stagnation and public concerns about migration. The AfD is basing its campaign on precisely these issues. “We are a people's party, and we all bear a great responsibility for the German generation,” said its co-chairman Tino Chrupalla.

The party's growing popularity comes despite the fact that the German domestic intelligence service has classified it as a right-wing extremist organization. However, this decision is not legally binding until the appeal has been ruled on.

(reuters, est)