Its early projection suggests Friedrich Merz’s CDU has won 28.9 per cent of the vote, while AfD have secured 19.9 and, crucially, the two smaller parties – the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and populist, pro-Russian Reason and Justice party (BSW) – have fallen just shy of the 5 per cent threshold.

GERMANY’S conservatives have won a historic election after beating out the far-right AfD party. Alternative for Germany (AfD) were heavily backed by international voices – including