German election results: AFD comes second with a record result

▪️CDU/CSU conservative bloc wins with 29% of the vote, as per exit poll.

▪️Right-wing "Alternative for Germany" gets record 19.5%.

▪️Scholz's Social Democrats suffer defeat, ranking 3rd with 16%.

▪️Sarah Wagenknecht's party gets 4.7% in its first election, but fails to enter the Bundestag.

Sahra Wagenknecht's party wins 5% of votes in its first election and enters the Bundestag, according to ZDF exit poll data

Scholz acknowledged defeat in the elections, calling the result a bitter setback for the Social Democrats.

Adding from Trump: 

President Donald Trump celebrated on Sunday after German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in a national election, ousting Social Democrat incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

"LOOKS LIKE THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN GERMANY HAS WON THE VERY BIG AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ELECTION," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "MUCH LIKE THE USA, THE People Of Germany GOT TIRED OF THE NO COMMON SENSE AGENDA, ESPECIALLY ON ENERGY AND IMMIGRATION, THAT HAS PREVAILED FOR SO MANY YEARS.

"THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR GERMANY, AND FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED DONALD J. TRUMP," he added. "CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL — MANY MORE VICTORIES TO FOLLOW!!!"

Adding: 

What do German candidates say about the election outcome?

CDU/CSU's Friedrich Merz:

▪️He declared victory in the snap elections, called for a functioning coalition to be created as fast as possible.

AfD's Alice Weidel:

▪️If the CDU refuses to create a coalition with the AfD, the next elections will "come sooner."

▪️Our goal in the next elections is to overtake the CDU.

SPD's Olaf Scholz:

▪️He admitted the defeat of his party and congratulated Merz on his victory.

BSW's Sahra Wagenknecht: 

▪️She called her party an anti-war force that would not agree to arming Germany and sending German soldiers to other countries, including Ukraine.