Hackers broke into email accounts of members of Germany's anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and stole about 421,000 messages.
Germany
What is happening there and why it matters.
So it makes sense
Germany is the European Union’s largest economy and at the same time a country going through two simultaneous shocks: the industry that sustained it for decades is losing ground, and the party system that stabilised it after the war is fragmenting. It is also Slovakia’s and Czechia’s most important trading partner — whatever happens to German carmaking reaches us within months through orders and employment.
- Who governs
- The chancellor is Friedrich Merz (CDU), leading a coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD — known in German shorthand as "schwarz-rot", black-red after the party colours. The vice-chancellor is Lars Klingbeil (SPD). The coalition is under strain: German media openly ask whether it will survive the autumn state elections, and its own MPs complain about the pace of reform.
- Who opposes
- The strongest opposition force is the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which leads polls comfortably in several eastern states. Inside the CDU this has opened a fight over the so-called "brandmauer" — the firewall, meaning the pledge never to work with the AfD. On the left are Die Linke and Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW, which is currently splitting.
- Next election
- The state elections of 20 September 2026 were won by Die Linke in Berlin and by the AfD in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 37-38 percent.
Context verified 21. 9. 2026. We update it when the government changes or an election comes — the news below is live.
What happened
25 reports over 14 days in 23 eventsThe German government and US tech company Nvidia agreed in Berlin to cooperate on developing artificial intelligence. A statement of intent was signed...
Greens and Social Democrats in Berlin decide on October 19 whether to begin coalition talks with Die Linke. The Greens convened a small party...
Píše o tom aj 1 ďalšie médium
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke at the Junge Union congress in Bonn, facing demands for reforms and sharp criticism.
Eintracht Frankfurt beat 1. FC Cologne 1:0 in round 6 of the German Bundesliga, earning its first home win since March.
The German government has approved a plan for a new tax on high-sugar beverages. The coalition parties CDU/CSU Union and SPD agreed on the measure.
German comedian Kurt Krömer faces a complaint from an Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician after dismissively commenting on the party's voters on Instagram.
France and Germany are moving closer, after months of talks, to a deal on easing the ban on new combustion-engine car sales after 2035. The compromi...
The AfD and BSW parties want to push through a joint call to end military and financial aid to Ukraine in Saxony-Anhalt.
The CDU parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt is considering leaving the chamber during December's vote for state premier to show no Christian Democrat...
The dispute between Germany's CDU/CSU Union and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) continues to escalate after Bärbel Bas's resignation. SPD representatives accuse...
SPD, Greens and the Left in Berlin continue exploratory talks on forming a joint government after state elections. Talks under time pressure...
Píše o tom aj 1 ďalšie médium
A leading member of the youth organization of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) posted a map of Germany with significantly expanded borders.
French-British lawyer and writer Philippe Sands received the German Book Trade's Peace Prize in Frankfurt am Main on Sunday. The award was present...
The German government's coalition committee met in Berlin for the first time after the summer break. Representatives of the Union and the Social Democratic Party of …
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for his birthday. The two politicians met...
According to a report, the German governing coalition has agreed to raise the tobacco tax. The Union, which objected for weeks, has withdrawn...
Die Linke, the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Greens in Berlin have agreed on a joint approach against antisemitism. The agreement removes the main obst.…
AfD politician Tobias Rausch became speaker of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt. This is the first case where a parliament in one of Germany's...
The speech by Czech Culture Minister Ota Klempíř at the opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 6 was interrupted by whistling and shouts.
German intelligence chief Martin Jäger warned that Russia is waging a shadow war against Germany and preparing further operations on its territory. Pod...
AfD member Tobias Rausch was elected president of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on October 6, winning in the first round with 48 votes in a secret ballot.
German authorities on Tuesday detained former Federal Intelligence Service chief August Hanning on suspicion of espionage, treason and obtaining secret information f…