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Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Germany's Conservatives win elections, AfD ranks second

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 23 Feb 2025 21:12
2 Min Read

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 19.5% to 20%, nearly doubling its support compared to the 2021 election.

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  • Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party, gestures while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after the German national election. (AP)
    Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party, gestures while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after the German national election. (AP)

Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc, led by Friedrich Merz, won Sunday's elections, securing between 28.5% and 29% of the vote, according to initial TV exit polls.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 19.5% to 20%, nearly doubling its support compared to the 2021 election, based on early figures from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

Far-right surge

The election campaign has been heavily influenced by security concerns and social polarization following a series of violent attacks, including Friday's stabbing at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial.

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AfD open to coalition as Scholz concedes defeat in German election

Germany votes as Conservatives lead, AfD gains ground

These incidents have fueled public anger over immigration and security policies, boosting the AfD's popularity to 20% in the polls, placing it in second place behind the conservatives.

The AfD has received support from Trump's inner circle, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance.

At an AfD rally in Berlin, party supporter Julian Adrat expressed optimism about the election, saying, "I'm very confident and, no matter how it turns out, we still have room for improvement."

Collapse of Scholz's coalition

The election is being held six months ahead of schedule following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition with the Greens and pro-business FDP in November. Scholz's Social Democrats are polling at around 15%, trailing behind both the Conservatives and the AfD.

Merz has ruled out a coalition with the AfD but is expected to seek alliances with the Social Democrats or the Greens to form a government. He declared confidently, "The left is over... There is no left majority and no left politics anymore in Germany."

He pledged to tighten immigration, cut welfare benefits, and restore Germany's influence in the European Union, adding that "Europe must become stronger again and Germany must become more involved in the European Union."

Read more: Scholz criticizes opposition for collaboration with AfD

  • German elections
  • Germany
  • Alternative for Germany party (AfD)

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