The rise of the German right

It mirrors a global trend of populist nationalist agendas finding significant electoral traction

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Germany's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) are set to form the government following Sunday's election, whose results also show a surge in support for the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), with one in five Germans voting for it.

To be sure, this is contingent on the CDU/CSU managing to form a coalition, with the most likely partner being the SPD (the Social Democrats) which came in third. AfD came in second, with its strong showing fuelled by young voters amid growing concerns about migration and Germany's asylum policy, especially at a time when United States-Europe relations have been dealt a body blow by the policies of US President Donald Trump.