Free Republic

The German far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), could be closing in on power at the state level for the first time since the Nazi regime's defeat in World War II 81 years ago. Polling suggests the party is far ahead of its rivals in Saxony‑Anhalt and, crucially, within striking distance of an outright majority that would defeat mainstream parties' traditional Brandmauer—or "firewall"—against a far-right government. Germany's electoral system of proportional representation means that most governments at the national and regional level are coalitions. The "firewall" is an agreement of non‑cooperation in which mainstream parties do not govern with, or...

A hand recount of Maricopa County's 2020 presidential election vote has reiterated official results that showed Joe Biden won, an election audit draft report has said. Auditors in Arizona found that the county's election had not been stolen from Donald Trump, as some of his supporters had claimed, and that the former president had lost by more votes than earlier official results declared. The hand count found Trump won 45,469 fewer votes than Biden, whereas earlier county results showed he lost by 45,109—a relatively small discrepancy of 360. It also gave Biden an extra 99 votes—up from 1,040,774 to 1,040,873.