German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s socialist party looks set to suffer its worst-ever European elections, facing defeat by conservative and hard-right parties in the European elections, according to an exit poll.

Angela Merkel’s CDU and its Bavarian sister party CSU are expected to take 30 per cent of the vote after promising to roll back on the European Union’s green pledges, including a ban on the production of combustion engine vehicles, which is deeply controversial amongst German industry. 

The pro-Putin AfD weathered a storm of scandals, including a Chinese spying scandal and alleged Nazi sympathies, for a forecasted 16 per cent of the vote – a five per cent leap in voting compared to their 2019 results. 

Whereas, Mr Scholz, whose socialist SPD is the senior party of Germany’s ruling coalition, appeared to only have taken 13.9 per cent of the vote. 

The German Greens, who secured 20.5 per cent in 2019, are expected to finish a distant fourth with 12.5 per cent this year, the exit poll carried out on behalf of German broadcaster ZDF suggested. 

The blow is expected to be mirrored across Europe with ruling figures like France’s Emmanuel Macron expected to be humbled at the polls by right-wing parties opposed to the EU’s Net Zero targets. 

• German CDU/CSU on course to win with 29.5 per cent
• Germany’s Far-Right AFD on 16.5 per cent
• Mr Scholz’s SPD expected to take 14 per cent
• Greens polling at 12 per cent

Germany has 96 of the 720 seats in the new European Parliament, the biggest single share.