The German conservatives are on track for an election victory, while a right-wing party is surging ahead. An exit poll from Germany indicates an impending defeat for Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to the poll, the conservative parties CDU/CSU are set to win the election with 29.5 percent of the votes, a slight increase from the 28.9 percent they obtained in 2019. The most remarkable aspect of the poll is the surge of the right-wing and controversial party Alternative for Germany (AfD). AfD is poised to become the second-largest party with 16.5 percent of the votes, a significant rise from 11 percent in 2019. Olaf Scholz’ Social Democratic Party, SPD, appears to be headed for a third-place finish with 14 percent, a decline from 15.8 percent in the last election. News agency AFP reports that this is the worst result for the SPD in a EU parliamentary election ever.
A new EU-skeptic party, Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), also looks set to make a notable debut with 5.5 to 6 percent of the votes. BSW has criticized, among other things, German aid to Ukraine and expressed skepticism about EU’s climate initiatives. Scholz’ coalition partners are also experiencing declines. The Green Party is projected to receive between 12 and 12.5 percent, while the liberal FDP seems to be getting 5 percent of the votes. It is important to note that the exit poll is not the final result, which can only be announced after 11:00 p.m. when the last polling stations in Europe close.