Germany's Merz shocked by far-right state election triumph but doubles down on unpopular reforms

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down Monday on pushing through unpopular reforms to Europe’s largest economy after a far-right party surged to a landslide victory in a regional election, with a very good chance of forming the first far-right state government since the Nazi era. (AP Video by Pietro de Cristofaro and Fanny Brodersen) A small eastern German state has delivered a political shock with consequences far beyond Germany. The AfD, classified by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency as an extremist group, fell just short of an outright majority in Sunday’s regional elections. The far-right Alternative for Germany party has surged to a resounding victory in a regional election. But it fell a little short of winning a majority Sunday in its quest to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II. Top candidate for the Saxony-Anhalt state elections Ulrich Siegmund, center, attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept.

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