https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The far right and far left had more success in German state elections on Sunday, dealing yet another blow to embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz -- who has vowed to stay the course. https://www.thelocal.com/20260920/disaster-far-right-and-far-left-gains-in-german-state-votes-leaves-merz-shaken Sun, 20 Sep 2026 19:27:20 +0200 disaster-far-right-and-far-left-gains-in-german-state-votes-leaves-merz-shaken "Remigration is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing," said Merz on Wednesday, voicing uncharacteristically strong opposition to the far-right following a ground-shaking state election. https://www.thelocal.com/20260909/is-german-chancellor-merz-repositioning-in-response-to-far-right-vote Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:06:32 +0200 is-german-chancellor-merz-repositioning-in-response-to-far-right-vote Many of The Local’s readers in Germany say the AfD's historic result in Saxony-Anhalt has left them worried about discrimination, their future in the country and what comes next in national politics. Others take a very different view. https://www.thelocal.com/20260908/i-feel-unsafe-readers-react-to-the-afds-breakthrough-in-saxony-anhalt Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:15:33 +0200 i-feel-unsafe-readers-react-to-the-afds-breakthrough-in-saxony-anhalt While AfD supporters are celebrating their win in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, many locals are worried about what happens next. We spoke to the Greens to find out how the opposition is feeling. https://www.thelocal.com/20260908/wake-up-call-greens-in-magdeburg-vow-to-continue-fight-against-right-wing-extremism Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:55:00 +0200 wake-up-call-greens-in-magdeburg-vow-to-continue-fight-against-right-wing-extremism German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will huddle Monday with his CDU party to discuss and digest their thumping defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD party in a state election in the ex-communist east. https://www.thelocal.com/20260907/tectonic-shift-what-next-for-chancellor-merz-and-the-cdu-after-far-right-win Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:09:11 +0200 tectonic-shift-what-next-for-chancellor-merz-and-the-cdu-after-far-right-win Germany's far-right AfD won a landslide victory in a key regional election Sunday in the ex-communist east, a result seen as a stinging rebuke for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but looked set to miss out on an absolute majority to govern alone. https://www.thelocal.com/20260906/germanys-far-right-afd-clear-frontrunner-in-eastern-state-vote Sun, 06 Sep 2026 08:53:55 +0200 germanys-far-right-afd-clear-frontrunner-in-eastern-state-vote Right-wing and conservative lawmakers celebrated the passing of new rules to tighten Europe's migration policy this week, but the move shows how Germany's CDU is increasingly propping up it's so-called 'main opponent', the AfD. https://www.thelocal.com/20260619/germanys-cdu-slammed-for-empowering-afd-with-plan-for-deportation-centres Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:56:30 +0200 germanys-cdu-slammed-for-empowering-afd-with-plan-for-deportation-centres Germany's domestic intelligence service on Friday designated the AfD as a right-wing extremist group, handing authorities greater powers to monitor the party and fuelling calls for it to be banned. https://www.thelocal.com/20250502/afd-designated-as-right-wing-extremist-group-by-german-intelligence Fri, 02 May 2025 11:17:17 +0200 afd-designated-as-right-wing-extremist-group-by-german-intelligence