Merz says ‘shock’ AfD victory in key German state ‘is an election result we cannot simply move past’ – Europe live

German chancellor says vote for far-right party ‘will have repercussions’ across the country

• Far-right AfD wins key German state election but falls just short of majority

AfD’s Chrupalla continues in this vein, saying the German public wants to see a change in direction, and specifically saying the electorate is “fed up” as the government keeps “transferring billions of our tax money to Ukraine … instead of using it for our own population.”

He says the party has “a clear mandate” to rule in Saxony-Anhalt and will hold discussions with others about what can be done.