Greens beat Merz’s CDU in key Germany regional election: exit polls

The German Greens have beaten Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU in the state election of Baden-Württemberg, seen as a test for the German leader, according to exit polls.

Over 31% of voters opted for the Greens led by Cem Özdemir, a poll for broadcaster ZDF said, compared with 30.5% for the CDU. ARD, another public broadcaster, put the Greens ahead with 32% to 29%.

Özdemir served as the German Federal Minister for food and agriculture from 2021 to 2025 in the coalition government led by Olaf Scholz.

Both polls showed the far-right Alternative for Germany almost doubling its result compared to 2021 elections, taking third-place with about 18% of the vote.

For its part, the socialist SPD appears to have halved its support, dropping from 11% to just 5.5%, according to both polls.

With less than 5% of the vote, the liberal FDP and the radical left Die Linke will, according to both polls, likely fail to secure seats in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament.

Germany’s…