The far-right party made big gains in its share of the vote in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
n the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate with 30 percent of the vote, dislodging the centre-left Social Democrats party which received 26 percent of the votes. CDU candidate Gordon Schnieder, who had campaigned with Merz, claimed victory and vowed to change the state's education, security, health and economic policy.
The results mark a blow to the Socialist Democrats which had previously held the state for 35 years. AfD came third with 19.5 percent of the vote, more than double the result it received at the last state election five years ago when it got 8.3 percent. But the far-right party is consistently tracking strong support in national polls, often vying for first with Merz' conservative party. This latest strong showing comes after the AfD came third in a state election in Baden-Wurttemberg earlier March showing that it is making progress in the western part of the country. The ballot in Rhineland-Palatinate was the second of five state races this year in what is considered a litmus test of the national sentiment as the AfD seeks to overtake Merz’s conservatives in national polls. The AfD’s jump of more than 11 points is significant given the losses of the three governing parties —and the CDU and Left Party only making marginal gains."Voters appreciate the work we’ve done as opposition party," she said, according to Politico."We will continue on this path so that we can join the government in the next election." However, the party will need to end the so-called firewall which has stopped the far right from governing in a coalition with mainstream parties at state and national level. Its gains come amid concerns at the economy amid a manufacturing decline and the fallout from the Iran War. In two states in the former East Germany, the AfD is so far ahead in polls that its leaders hope to secure an absolute majority in at least one of the contests in September, bringing it to real governing power for the first time since it was founded 13 years ago., ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not"both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you., you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations.Opinion
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