Esme Nicholson

Supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appears on a screen in a TV studio following the closure of polling stations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state elections on September 20, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.

Germany's leader stands his ground after his party loses in state elections

Esme Nicholson

German Chancellor Freidrich Merz conceded that the night spells "disaster" for the political center, but assured the public he'd push ahead with his federal agenda of tax and welfare reforms.

Germany's chancellor facing pressure after far right gains ground

Esme Nicholson

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure after another bruising night at the polls — with the far right gaining ground in yet another state — and the left making gains in Berlin.

Could Germany's far-right AfD party gain ground in liberal Berlin?

Hannah Bloch, Esme Nicholson

The far-right AfD is campaigning in neighborhoods it previously would never have gone near, marking a noteworthy shift in the left-leaning capital city, where local elections take place on Sunday.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks to the press during a press conference in the gardens of the Prime Minister's Chancellery building in Warsaw on July 3.

NPR Headlines

Poland's prime minister warns of Russian 'accidental' attacks on Ukraine's allies

Esme Nicholson

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that these potential strikes "intend to paralyze NATO" in an attempt to demonstrate that Article 5 "exists only in theory."

The far-right AfD's victory in eastern Germany has sent a political signal to Berlin

Esme Nicholson

A landslide victory for the far-right AfD in a tiny German region sends seismic political tremors far beyond its borders.

AfD supporters celebrate with a sign featuring top candidate Ulrich Siegmund after the first results of the Saxony-Anhalt state election at the party's election night gathering in Magdeburg, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.

NPR Headlines

Germany's far-right achieves an electoral breakthrough in key state election

Esme Nicholson

Germany's populist, far-right Alternative for Germany party has declared victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt after more than doubling its share of the vote in the first of several regional elections this fall.

Ulrich Siegmund, the far-right Alternative for Germany's candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, speaks at the Generation Germany youth group's federal congress in Magdeburg, Aug. 29.

NPR Headlines

Germany's far-right AfD party is poised for power in a state election

Esme Nicholson

Germany's AfD's TikTok-fueled rise in Saxony-Anhalt is raising fears the country could see its first far-right governor since World War II.