Far-Right Gains Momentum as German Coalition Parties Suffer in EU Elections

In the recent EU parliamentary elections, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition parties experienced significant losses. The Greens saw the largest decline, while the Social Democrats and the Free Democrats also fell. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany made substantial gains, rising to second place.

All three parties in German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition suffered losses in EU parliamentary elections on Sunday while the far-right Alternative for Germany made solid gains, according to an exit poll published by public broadcaster ARD.

Among the coalition partners, the Greens slumped the most, as expected, falling to 12% from 20.5% in 2019, dealing them a blow ahead of national elections next year. Scholz's Social Democrats fell to 14% from 15.8% and the pro-business Free Democrats dropped to 5% from 5.4%.

The conservatives came in first place as expected on 29.5% compared to 28.9% in 2019, while the AfD took second place on 16.5%, up from 11%.