German Elections 2017: Angela Merkel Holds On To Power, Right-Wing AfD Makes Strong Gains

Angela Merkel, the three times chancellor of Germany, is set for a fourth term as the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU won a projected 33 per cent of the vote in the federal elections held on Sunday.

According to the BBC, this is the worst result for CUD alliance since 1949, when national elections were held for the first time after the Second World War .

The center-left Social Democrats, who were the CDU’s partners in the last coalition government, crashed to just over 20 per cent of the vote share and has decided to be a part of the parliamentary opposition.

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) made a historic breakthrough, winning around 13 per cent of the vote. AfD’s remarkable showing means Germany will have a far-right party in parliament for the first time in more than half a century.

Leaders of the anti-immigration AfD have often said that Islam is not compatible with the Germany’s constitution and have called for a ban on minarets and the burqa. Founded four years ago, the party rose to prominence on the back of opposition to Merkel's decision to open the country's borders to over a million migrants.

The AfD performed particularly well in East Germany, which includes Berlin, attracting 21.5 per cent of the vote. In the West, however, the party could attract only 11 per cent of the vote. The party has managed to emerge as the third-largest party in the German parliament, a major success.

Countries across Europe have seen a rise of anti-migrant parties in recent elections and several German pollsters had predicted that the anti-migrant, anti-Europe AfD may come in as the third-strongest party.

Commentators suggest Merkel's reassuring message of economic stability and prosperity has resonated in greying Germany, where more than half of the 61 million voters are aged 52 or older.

With inputs from PTI