The AfD performed strongest in east Germany, with the party coming first in the region according to preliminary results. That's despite several scandals engulfing the party ahead of the vote, including its lead candidate Maximilan Krah saying that the Schutzstaffel, or SS, the Nazis' main paramilitary force, were "not all criminals".
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats are heading for their worst ever national election result, with coalition partners the Greens and the Liberals also taking a beating.
The results paint a grim picture for the government ahead of three state elections in eastern Germany this year, and a general election in 2025.
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