1:33 p.m. ET, June 9, 2024
Far-right AfD party set to come in second in Germany, exit poll indicates
Alternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leaders Alice Weidel, center, and Tino Chrupalla, right, react to results after the polls closed in the European Parliament elections in Berlin on June 9.
Annegret Hilse/Reuters
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is set to come second in Germany’s European Parliament elections, according to an exit poll from the European Parliament.
After initial predictions, the AfD had gained 16.5% of the vote, 5 percentage points higher than in the last vote in 2019.
The center-right Christian Democrats Party (CDU) is predicted to win 29.5% of the votes, making it the strongest party. The CDU is the political party of the incumbent European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is hoping to gain a second term.
The exit poll indicates a weak showing from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which finished third with 14%.
Some background: Despite a strong predicted showing from the AfD, it is politically homeless in Brussels, after being kicked out of the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) party.