Right-wing AfD makes historic gains in west German election | 9 March 2026 | The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has scored a record result in Baden‑Wurttemberg’s regional elections, doubling its vote share from the previous election and achieving its highest result outside its traditional heartland. The right-wing party finished third in the election held over the weekend, behind the Greens and Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). It secured nearly 19% of the vote, up from just under 10% in 2021. The result also marks AfD’s highest score outside the former East German states, which are its traditional stronghold. The party’s federal co-chair, Tino Chrupalla, called the result “a huge success.”