The projections, based on exit polls and partial counting, put support for Merz’s Union bloc at just under 29% and Alternative for Germany, or AfD, about 20% — roughly double its result from 2021.

They put support for Scholz’s Social Democrats at just over 16%, far lower than in the last election and below their previous all-time low of 20.5% from 2017. The environmentalist Greens, their remaining partners in the outgoing government, were on 12-13%.

Out of three smaller parties, one — the hard-left Left Party — strengthened its position, winning up to 9% of the vote after a remarkable comeback during the campaign. Two other parties, the pro-business Free Democrats and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, hovered around the threshold of the 5% support needed to win seats.

Whether Merz will have a majority to form a coalition with Scholz’s Social Democrats or need a second partner as well will depend on how many parties get into parliament. The conservative leader said that “the most important thing is to re-establish a viable government in Germany as quickly as possible.”

“I am aware of the responsibility,” Merz said. “I am also aware of the scale of the task that now lies ahead of us. I approach it with the utmost respect, and I know that it will not be easy.”

“The world out there isn’t waiting for us, and it isn’t waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations,” he told cheering supporters. “We must now become capable of acting quickly again.”

The Greens’ candidate for chancellor, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, said that Merz would do well to moderate his tone after a sometimes hard-fought election campaign.

“We have seen the center is weakened overall, and everyone should look at themselves and ask whether they didn’t contribute to that,” said Habeck. “Now he must see that he acts like a chancellor.”

The Greens were the party that suffered least from participating in Scholz’s unpopular government. The Social Democrats’ general secretary, Matthias Miersch, suggested that their defeat was no surprise — “this election wasn’t lost in the last eight weeks.”

AfD’s candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, said that “we have become the second-strongest force.” The party’s strongest previous showing was 12.6% in 2017, when it first entered the national parliament.

She said that her party is “open for coalition negotiations” with Merz’s party, and that “otherwise, no change of policy is possible in Germany.” But Merz has repeatedly and categorically ruled out working with AfD, as have other mainstream parties.

AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla told cheering supporters that “we have achieved something historic today.”

“We have gained 100%,” he said. “We are now the political center and we have left the fringes behind us.”

Scholz decried AfD’s success. He said that “that must never be something that we will accept. I will not accept it and never will.”

The head of Germany’s main Jewish organization, Josef Schuster, told daily newspaper Die Welt: “It must concern us all that a fifth of German voters are giving their vote to a party that is at least partly right-wing extremist, that openly seeks linguistic and ideological links to right-wing radicalism and neo-Nazism, that plays on people’s fears and only offers them ostensible solutions.”

More than 59 million people in the nation of 84 million were eligible to elect the 630 members of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, who will take their seats under the glass dome of Berlin’s landmark Reichstag building.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

The Florida Senate aims to deliver much-needed relief to the state’s rural communities through Senate President Ben Albritton’s “Rural Renaissance” legislative proposal. These communities have historically faced significant challenges in accessing essential services.

The Florida Hospital Association (FHA) strongly supports the initiative.

Senate Bill 110, filed by Sen. Corey Simon and championed by President Albritton, is strategically designed to bolster health care, education, infrastructure, and environmental enhancements in these smaller, often fiscally constrained communities. These areas frequently grapple with limited resources, making it difficult to attract a medically-trained workforce and sustain essential health services.

According to FHA President and CEO Mary Mayhew, this legislation precisely addresses the needs of rural Florida communities to thrive.

“Senate President Albritton’s vision for a Rural Renaissance aims to meet the greatest needs of Floridians – keeping hospitals open, instituting cutting-edge technologies, and ensuring that Floridians can receive the right care as soon as possible for the best possible outcome,” Mayhew said. “The central goal here is to ensure that rural residents will not have to drive tens or even hundreds of miles to access high-quality care.”

The Florida Hospital Association’s ongoing collaboration with lawmakers to tackle the health care challenges confronting the state’s rural communities has culminated in this proposed bill. Proximity to care is a primary concern, as many residents must travel across multiple counties to receive critical medical services.

SB 110 proposes allocating nearly $70 million to address critical needs within these communities. These investments include:

— $25 million in nonrecurring funds and $10 million in recurring funds to expand the Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program, encompassing mobile units to provide primary care, behavioral health, and obstetric and gynecologic services. The program also includes telemedicine kiosks to facilitate remote urgent care services.

— $25 million to establish the Rural Access to Primary and Preventive Care Grant Program, designed to help establish or expand preventive and primary care offices, potentially improving quality of life and reducing health care costs for rural Florida families.

— $5 million to create the Stroke, Cardiac and Obstetric Response and Education (SCORE) Grant Program, aimed at training rural EMTs and paramedics to enhance stroke, cardiac, and obstetric response, ultimately improving patient outcomes in smaller communities with limited access to advanced treatments.

— $6.3 million in state and $8.2 million in federal funds to increase existing Florida Medicaid reimbursements for rural hospitals not classified as critical access hospitals.

Albritton shared in a memorandum regarding Florida’s Rural Renaissance: “In addition to employment opportunities, currently, our rural quality of life can be limited by access to education and health care. I believe we can combine enhancements to the traditional infrastructure for schools and hospitals with innovations that expand and strengthen access to these public services.”

SB 110 offers a pathway for Florida’s rural communities to ensure access to high-quality care close to home, making rural Florida a better and healthier place to live. The FHA is eager to collaborate with lawmakers and stakeholders to strengthen the health care infrastructure in Florida’s smaller communities.

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Republican state lawmakers seeking to aid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration are threatening local officials who resist with lawsuits, fines and even potential jail time.

Lawmakers in more than 20 states this year have filed legislation targeting so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.

Some of those states already ban sanctuary policies but are now proposing to punish mayors, council members and other government officials who violate the prohibition.

The goal is to provide “teeth to those who are being aggrieved by local governments and local officials who are not abiding by Georgia immigration law,” said Republican state Sen. Blake Tillery, whose legislation would allow lawsuits against anyone who implements sanctuary policies. His bill recently passed the Senate and is now in the House.

Opponents have raised concerns that the legislation could lead local police and sheriffs to detain immigrants for longer than they are supposed to under federal law out of fear of getting sued.

“We’re threatening our local law enforcement who are doing the best job they can to keep our communities safe,” said Georgia state Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Democrat.

The state proposals come as the Trump administration also has begun taking legal action against governments that have adopted policies inhibiting arrests and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Justice has sued Illinois, Chicago and Cook County, alleging they are violating federal law by not cooperating with immigration authorities.

A Georgia law enacted last year already mandates that local law enforcement cooperate with federal authorities to identify and detain immigrants in the U.S. illegally, or else lose state funding and face misdemeanor charges. The legislation recently passed by the state Senate doubles down by letting people sue local governments, officials and employees for violating the ban.

Immigrants and advocates in Georgia say the legislation, if passed, could stoke fear in communities already worried about ICE officials arresting loved ones in homes, churches or schools.

“This all relates to Donald Trump’s war on immigrants and local people trying to garner favor with him through legislation that doesn’t solve any problems,” said Charles Kuck, an Atlanta immigration attorney who opposes the legislation.

Mike Mitchell, deputy executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, said the organization has a “neutral” position on the bill but noted sheriffs already are following immigration law.

Louisiana passed a law last year requiring law enforcement agencies to “use best efforts” to enforce federal immigration law. Earlier this month, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill sued the sheriff’s office in New Orleans, alleging it is violating the state ban on sanctuary immigration policies.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office declines ICE requests to hold detainees for extra time except when they face murder, rape, kidnapping, treason or robbery charges, according to a 2013 policy put in place under a consent judgment in federal court. The attorney general’s lawsuit seeks to end that federal court order.

The sheriff’s office also restricts the information it shares with ICE and prevents federal immigration agents from entering its facilities without court authorization or interviewing detainees without legal counsel.

The sheriff’s office said in an emailed statement that it “remains in full compliance with all applicable state laws and valid court orders related to ICE detainers.”

An anti-sanctuary measure was the first item signed into law by Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden of South Dakota after he took over for former Gov. Kristi Noem, who was picked by Trump to be homeland security secretary. The law bans state and local policies that limit communication with federal officials about people’s immigration status, however it contains no penalties.

Other states have gone further. A sweeping immigration law signed recently by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis requires the attorney general to take legal action against local governments that adopt policies refusing to comply with federal requests to detain immigrants in the country illegally. Local officials who willfully violate a ban on such sanctuary policies can face fines up to $5,000.

Tennessee law already denies state economic development funds to local governments that violate a ban on sanctuary policies. A law signed recently by Gov. Bill Lee enhances that by subjecting local officials who vote for such policies to felony charges punishable by up to six years in prison. Legislative attorneys have said such penalties could be unconstitutional due to protections afforded elected officials while carrying out their duties.

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