German Chancellor Angela Merkel s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led its rivals in the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, a big boost of morale for the conservatives in the September federal election.
The CDU garnered 36 percent of the votes, up by 6.2 percent compared to the last state election, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) got 22.5 percent, according to an exit poll by local broadcaster ARD.
The Left Party got 11 percent of the votes and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) got 8.5 percent, according to the poll.
Saxony-Anhalt s CDU leader Sven Schulze said the result was very, very gratifying, expressing gratitude to the voters for giving the party a clear government mandate.
Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) fought off a challenge from the far right in a state election on Sunday seen as the last big test for Germany’s political parties before a national vote in September that will end the chancellor’s 16 years atop German politics. The CDU, whose current leader, Armin Laschet, will vie for the top job in September, improved on its 2017 performance to gain 37% of the vote in the eastern state,.
The center-right CDU will remain the largest party in Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament, according to an exit poll. The election was a major political test for the CDU ahead of September's nationwide vote.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will remain the largest party in Sachsen Anhalt's parliament, fending off a challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), according to an exit poll released Sunday.