Germany’s far-right AfD makes strong gains in two state elections

Germany's ‌AfD party on Sunday was set to win 37% in ⁠the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) on 35.5% and far ‌in front of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives, who got 5.5% and barely ⁠crossed the threshold to enter the state parliament, according to exit polls on ARD public television. But the far-right ​party is unlikely to govern as the ‌other main parties rule out working with it. In another election in the capital Berlin that ​also took place on Sunday, the far-left Linke party was ​on 24.5%, while Merz’s conservatives were on 20% ​and the AfD also gained in strength, hitting 16%. Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is projected to fall to 5.5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a largely rural state in Germany’s formerly communist east. That would be its worst result there since World War II. In a televised address after the polls closed at 6pm local time, Merz said the ​election ‌in ⁠Mecklenburg-Western ‌Pomerania was a "disaster" for ​his ‌party and vowed to ‌accelerate reforms ​as CDU party leader and ​chancellor ​to ​bring Germany forward. "The reforms have to come," he said. "I am taking on this r...