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German elections: Far-right wins MPs for first time in half a century German elections: Far-right wins MPs for first time in half a century
(35 minutes later)
A far-right party has won seats in the German parliament for the first time in half a century. A far-right party has won seats in the German parliament for the first time in half a century, in an election where Angela Merkel was returned as chancellor for the third contest straight.
Official exit polls show the AfD winning 13.5 per cent of the vote – at the higher end of what surveys had suggested it might win. Official exit polls show the anti-Muslim and anti-immigration AfD winning 13.5 per cent of the vote – at the higher end of what surveys had suggested it might win.
Angela Merkel is set to comfortably return as Chancellor for the third election running, while the centre-left SPD appears to have hit a historic low of just 20 per cent. Meanwhile, the centre-left SPD – the current coalition parties of Ms Merkel's CDU and a titan of German politics for 150 years – appears to have hit a historic low of just 20 per cent, its worst showing since the Second World War.
Small parties in general did well in the election and were all up on the 2013 election, with the the liberal FDP re-entering the Bundestag with 10.5 per cent of the vote, the Greens on 9.5 per cent, and the left-wing Die Linke on 9 per cent. Small parties in general did well in the election and were all up on the 2013 election, with the the liberal FDP re-entering the Bundestag with 10.5 per cent of the vote, the Greens on 9.5 per cent, and the left-wing Die Linke on 9 per cent. Turnout and voter participation also appears to have climbed since the previous election, which was held in 2013.
Turnout and voter participation also appears to have climbed since the previous election. SPD leader Martin Schulz immediately ruled out going back into coalition with Ms Merkel, leaving the Chancellor likely to go into coalition with the liberals and the Greens – the so called "Jamaica Coalition" because the colour of the parties matches the countries' flags. 
Such a coalition has not been formed at German national level before – though it does sometimes occur in Germany's state parliaments.
The chancellor could alternatively try to form a majority government if she is unable to secure the formal backing of other parties – with coalition negotiations expected to take weeks or even months.
The result is a huge blow for Mr Schulz, a former president of the European Parliament who became SPD leader earlier this year and once hoped to unseat Ms Merkel from the Bundeskanzleramt.
Speaking after exit polls were released, Ms Schulz attacked "right-wing extremism" of the AfD and told supporters assembled in Berlin: "What is depressing for us tonight is the result of the AfD.
"For the first time with them there will be far right representation in the Bundestag."
One of the largest cheers of the night from Mr Schulz's address was his announcement that he would drop the coalition with Ms Merkel – a pact that has cause rifts within the SPD. Mr Schulz himself did not serve as a minister in the government, he says, because he wanted to replace Ms Merkel as chancellor.
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