Merz’s conservatives win key state vote despite far-right surge

(Nette Nöstlinger – Politico) Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative party won an election in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, giving the German leader a much-needed victory. While Merz’s party will welcome the result, there will be plenty of concern at the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party more than doubling its vote share. “This is historic for us,” Jens Spahn, the Christian Democratic Union’s parliamentary group leader in Berlin, told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday. “It gives us in the CDU a boost at the federal level. But of course, the credit goes above all to our colleagues on the ground,” he added. – Merz’s conservatives win key state vote despite far-right surge – POLITICO