German hard-right party AfD gets strongest showing since WW2 amid pressure on mainstream parties to break ‘firewall’

GERMANY'S hard-right party has had its strongest showing since World War Two, exit polls suggest, taking 19.5 per cent of the vote. Alternative for Germany (AfD) is fielding its first candidate to lead the country amid support from Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance.

Exit polls have placed AfD high in the tallies of the high-stakes election - but full results are expected on Monday morning. Leader of AfD Alice Weidel, praised her party's best-ever national election result following the exit polls - dubbing it as "historic".

She told cheering supporters that the anti-immigration party was now "firmly anchored" in the political landscape and had "never been so strong on a national level". She told the ARD broadcaster that "our hand is reaching out" to enter into a coalition government with the conservative CDU/CSU alliance - which came out on top in the exit polls at 29 per cent.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz has ruled out an alliance but caused uproar last month by bringing a motion to parliament that was passed with AfD votes, breaching a long-standing taboo. Weidel predicted that if the CDU continued to refuse to work with her party to "implement the will of the people", the AfD would "overtake" them in the next election, expected four years from now.

The race pits the incumbent chancellor against the opposition leader, the vice chancellor and for the first time a leader of a far-right party. The exit polls for ARD and ZDF television show Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats on track for their worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election, and expected to be in third place.

AfD became the first far-right party to win a state election in post-World War II Germany in Thuringia in September. The party is backed by high-profile US figures like Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance. THE exit poll in Germany results are in - with broadcaster ARD indicating percentages of votes as:.

Germany's electoral system rarely gives any party an absolute majority and opinion polls suggest that no party is anywhere near one this time. Two or more parties will most likely form a coalition in the coming weeks. Whichever parties get in could shape Europe's response to Donald Trump.

Questions remain over whether a coalition could be formed that could break Germany's long-standing "firewall". The "firewall" is the name given to a postwar stance in which mainstream parties have insisted they wouldn't work with any far-right parties - including AfD.

JD Vance earlier this month said there is no place for "firewalls" during a visit to Munich earlier this month. Once considered a political outsider, the AfD has cemented itself as Germany's second largest party, polling at 21 per cent - more than double its result in 2021.

The party's momentum has been strongest in Germany's economically struggling east, but is also gaining traction in the west. AfD's campaign has echoed Trump-style populism, with supporters seen wearing MAGA-inspired caps reading "Make Germany Great Again".

The party's leader, Alice Weidel, has vowed to "break the firewall" that keeps mainstream parties from cooperating with the far-right. AfD’s success in September’s state elections, where it won its first-ever governorship in Thuringia and came close in Saxony, signaled its growing influence.

Now, its national rise could force Germany’s mainstream parties to navigate an even more divided political landscape. FOUR candidates are vying to become Germany’s next leader, each representing a distinct political vision. Friedrich Merz (CDU): The 69-year-old leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union is the front-runner to become chancellor. Promising economic revival and strong leadership in Europe, Merz will need to form a coalition as his party is unlikely to secure an outright majority.

Olaf Scholz (SPD): The current chancellor and leader of the centre-left Social Democrats, Scholz has struggled to maintain support after his government collapsed late last year. He has positioned himself as a steady hand in uncertain times, but polls suggest his party will place third behind the CDU and AfD.

Alice Weidel (AfD): The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany has propelled her party to its strongest showing in history. A staunch nationalist, Weidel has called for radical policies on immigration, the economy, and Germany's place in the EU. Despite her success, she remains a deeply polarising figure.

Robert Habeck (Greens): The current vice chancellor and co-leader of the Greens, Habeck represents the environmentalist party’s push for climate action and social justice. However, the Greens have lost ground in recent months, making it unlikely that he will be a serious contender for the chancellorship.

Germany's next government will be crucial in shaping Europe's response to Trump. Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously warned that Trump's return would be " a challenge". Meanwhile, Weidel has positioned herself as a German ally to Trump’s America. She has been advocating for a nationalist agenda that includes withdrawing support for Ukraine, lifting sanctions on Russia, and even threatening a referendum on Germany’s EU membership.