Germany’s conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, secured an underwhelming victory in Sunday’s national election, while Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved the strongest showing for Germany's far-right since World War II, according to projections, The Associated Press reported.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat for his center-left Social Democrats, calling it “a bitter election result.” Projections from ARD and ZDF public television indicated his party had finished in third place, marking its worst postwar performance in a national parliamentary election.
Merz expressed hope of forming a coalition government by Easter, though that could prove difficult.
Projections based on exit polls and partial vote counts estimated Merz’s Union bloc had around 28.5% of the vote, while AfD secured approximately 20.5%, nearly double its 2021 result.
Support for Scholz’s Social Democrats fell to just over 16%, a significant drop from the previous election and lower than their prior postwar low of 20.5% in 2017. The Greens, the remaining coalition partner in the outgoing government, garnered about 12%.
Among the smaller parties, the hard-left Left Party saw a resurgence, securing up to 9% of the vote. Meanwhile, the pro-business Free Democrats, part of the collapsed government, appeared set to lose their parliamentary seats with only 4.5%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) hovered around the 5% threshold required to enter parliament.
Whether Merz will have enough support to form a coalition solely with the Social Democrats or require a third partner, likely the Greens, will depend on BSW’s parliamentary prospects.
Emphasizing the urgency of establishing a stable government, Merz stated, “The most important thing is to re-establish a viable government in Germany as quickly as possible.”
“I am aware of the responsibility,” Merz continued, as quoted by AP. “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.”
He underscored the need for swift action, telling his supporters, “The world out there isn’t waiting for us, and it isn’t waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations.”
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla hailed the party’s historic success, telling supporters, “We have achieved something historic today.”
“We are now the political center and we have left the fringes behind us,” Chrupalla added. AfD’s previous best performance was 12.6% in 2017 when it first entered parliament.
Merz, meanwhile, dismissed the possibility of working with AfD, emphasizing, “We have fundamentally different views, for example on foreign policy, on security policy, in many other areas, regarding Europe, the euro, NATO.”
“You want the opposite of what we want, so there will be no cooperation,” he added.
Scholz condemned AfD’s success, declaring, “That must never be something that we will accept. I will not accept it and never will.”
