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Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party, gestures while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after the German national election. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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German election: CDU’s Friedrich Merz claims win, AfD second

  • Exit polls show Germany’s opposition conservatives CDU/CSU ahead in the national election, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) coming in second, its best-ever result.
  • Germany’s election authority says 52 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots four hours before the closure of polling stations.