Exit polls put party second in German state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg

The anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland party made strong gains in two crucial state elections in Germany on Sunday, increasing its support significantly but failing to oust the mainstream parties.

But the sharp shift to the right in Saxony and Brandenburg – AfD came second in both states – is a blow to the ruling coalition of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), both parties having lost thousands of voters to AfD.

German MPs condemn comments on Eritrean-born man accused of pushing boy in front of train

Germany’s interior minister has called for restraint after far-right politicians sought to exploit for political gain the death of an eight-year-old boy who was pushed in front of a train at Frankfurt station this week.

An Eritrean-born man who lives in Switzerland is accused of pushing the boy and his mother onto the tracks. The mother was able to roll to safety under the platform seconds before a high-speed train hit her son, killing him instantly.