Germany’s mainstream conservative party emerged victorious in the national election, while a far-right party notably increased its standing to become the second-largest political party in the country. These results, based on preliminary data from Sunday’s election, have brought significant shifts in the political landscape.
Following the election, opposition leader Friedrich Merz declared success, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged the defeat of his party. The far-right party, known as Alternative for Germany (AfD), achieved its highest level of support since World War II, signaling a growing presence in the political arena.
The official results published by the electoral authority indicated that the conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the center-left Social Democrats secured a collective majority of seats in the national parliament, as smaller parties did not reach the required electoral threshold. The outcome points to a prominent position for mainstream conservative forces alongside the resurgence of a far-right alternative in German politics.
A left-wing party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, came in just barely under the 5% hurdle needed to get seats in parliament, while the pro-business Free Democrats also failed to reach 5%.
The election came as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.
Here’s the latest:
Merz aims to form new government by Easter
Friedrich Merz says he wants to form a new government by Easter, though it’s not yet clear how easy that will be.
Merz said in a televised appearance with other party leaders Sunday evening: “We have nearly eight weeks until Easter now, and I think that should be enough time — the maximum time — to form a government in Germany.”
Merz noted that, by then, Germany won’t have had a government with a parliamentary majority for nearly six months.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s outgoing government will remain in office on a caretaker basis until the Bundestag elects the new chancellor.
Trump calls election result ‘a great day for Germany’
President Donald Trump has called the election result “a great day for Germany” in a Truth Social post. He didn’t name a party in his post.
“Looks like the conservative party in Germany has won the very big and highly anticipated election,” he wrote.
The Union bloc is the conservative party, and won the election. However, Trump ally Elon Musk endorsed AfD before the election, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel on the sidelines of a recent conference in Germany.
“Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has prevailed for so many years,” Trump wrote in a post that was entirely in capital letters.
▶ Read more about AfD’s rise
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
