Germany’s political system is set up to exclude extremists. Yet the country is waking up to a new political reality that has lurched to the right with the once outcast Alternative for Germany (AfD) party now firmly established in German politics.

The far-right Alternative for Germany vaulted into second place on Sunday after about a fifth of voters cast their ballot for a party that’s called for a halt to migration and assailed the country’s political establishment.

The German elections have taken place and the Bundestag is looking a lot more right-wing than it was this time yesterday. The centre-right CDU (Christian Democratic Union) led by Friedrich Merz will take power having won just over 28pc of the vote.

The Christian Democrats won with 28.6% of the vote while the far-right Alternative for Germany came second with 20.8%.

Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded the election and decried the historic gains of the far-right conservative party, AfD. Early exit polls show AfD is headed for second place, while opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives are in the lead and Scholz’s party fell to third.