GERMANY’S conservatives have won a historic election after beating out the far-right AfD party.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) – who were heavily backed by Elon Musk and US VP JD Vance – managed to take second place after making the biggest gains for a hard-right party since World War II.
APConservative leader Friedrich Merz is most likely to become Germany’s next chancellor after his CDU/CSU bloc came out on top in the election[/caption]
APMerz celebrating the election result around his team[/caption]
EPAFar right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) also celebrated the results after making their biggest gains since World War II[/caption]
Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democratic Party (SPD) collapsed to a dismal third place with the outspoken leader set to be ousted from his position shortly.
Preliminary results of the election show Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) took 28.5 per cent of the vote in first place.
The AfD won a record 20.8 per cent in second – securing its best result in a federal election since it formed in 2013.
Scholz’s SPD managed just 16.4 per cent of the vote in what turned out to be their worst result in the post-war era.
The leader of the CDU/CSU bloc, Friedrich Merz, is now the man most likely become Germany‘s next chancellor.
He was unable to pull off a majority share of the votes which means a coalition within the German government will need to be formed.
During his victory speech on Sunday night, Merz said: “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.”
But many fear creating a strong government will be tough due to the limited options for the conservative group.
Merz, 69, has already confirmed he will not allow the AfD to be involved due to their controversial views and widely condemned stance on social issues.
This view is shared across most of the parties who have all created a “firewall” designed to keep out the far-right as part of a long-running pact.
Despite this, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, said “our hand remains outstretched to form a government”.
She also predicted that if the CDU continued to refuse to work with her party to “implement the will of the people”, the AfD would “overtake” them in the next election.
Scholz has also appeared to rule out joining forces with the CDU since the results were revealed and he officially conceded.
Merz says he remains focused on finding the right fit to form a government and expects to face complex coalition negotiations in the coming days and weeks.
It is unclear if he will need to find just one or potentially two partners to form a needed pact.
AfD’s ‘historic’ campaign
Leader of AfD Alice Weidel, praised her party’s best-ever national election result following – dubbing it as “historic”.
Their substantial split of the votes also represents the first time a far-Right party has been the main opposition since the Nazis.
Weidel told cheering supporters that the anti-immigration party was now “firmly anchored” in the political landscape and had “never been so strong on a national level”.
AfD became the first far-right party to win a state election in post-World War II Germany in Thuringia in September.
Support from Washington for the party has been seen as one of the biggest reasons for their rise.
AFPMerz is now set to face a battle to form a German government[/caption]
ReutersAlternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leader Alice Weidel[/caption]
ReutersMerz was seen celebrating the results with a beer on Sunday night[/caption]
President Donald Trump hailed the exit poll results when they first came out as a “great day for Germany”.
He wrote on Truth Social: “Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration.”
AfD’s campaign even echoed Trump-style populism, with supporters seen wearing MAGA-inspired caps reading “Make Germany Great Again”.
The party is backed by high-profile US figures like Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance.
Merz even addressed voices within Washington who were in support of the far-right group during his winning address last night.
He said: “The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow.
“We are under so much pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now really is to create unity in Europe.”
Race to be chancellor
FOUR candidates are left in the running all vying to become Germany’s next leader with each representing a distinct political vision.
Friedrich Merz (CDU): The 69-year-old leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union is the front-runner to become chancellor. Promising economic revival and strong leadership in Europe, Merz will need to form a coalition as his party is unlikely to secure an outright majority.
Olaf Scholz (SPD): The current chancellor and leader of the centre-left Social Democrats, Scholz has struggled to maintain support after his government collapsed late last year. He has positioned himself as a steady hand in uncertain times, but polls suggest his party will place third behind the CDU and AfD.
Alice Weidel (AfD): The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany has propelled her party to its strongest showing in history. A staunch nationalist, Weidel has called for radical policies on immigration, the economy, and Germany’s place in the EU. Despite her success, she remains a deeply polarising figure.
Robert Habeck (Greens): The current vice chancellor and co-leader of the Greens, Habeck represents the environmentalist party’s push for climate action and social justice. However, the Greens have lost ground in recent months, making it unlikely that he will be a serious contender for the chancellorship
Another key factor behind their sharp uptake of supporters is due to a string of terror related attacks on German soil in recent months.
Last Friday, a Syrian refugee reportedly attempted to slit the throat of a 30-year-old Spanish tourist from behind in Berlin.
The suspect attacked at the Holocaust Memorial and said he wanted to “kill people out of hatred of Jews”, cops said.
Just days earlier, Germany was again rocked by a suspected terror attack when an Afghan asylum seeker ploughed his car into a group of demonstrators in Munich.
A 37-year-old mother and her two-year-old daughter were killed in the attack and injured at least 26 others.
What the result could mean for Europe?
Merz has already started to speak on what a new-look German government could mean for Europe going forwards after weeks of continental unrest.
He warned Nato could soon be a thing of the past as he echoed calls from Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky to build a new alliance “independent” from the US.
The man tipped to become the next chancellor took his victory speech as a chance to speak on his plans for a united Europe.
He said his team will work to “quickly” establish an “independent European defence capability”.
Merz added: “My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.
“I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television program.
“But after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.”
ReutersMerz speaking in Berlin on Sunday night[/caption]
RexGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz was left in third place[/caption]
The remarks come after brave Zelensky called for the creation of an “Army of Europe” to take on Russia earlier this month.
The Ukrainian president said Europe should be looking to create such a military separate from Nato in case “America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it”.
Merz made a similar remark around the future of Nato as he said: “I am very curious to see how we are heading towards the Nato summit at the end of June.
“Whether we will still be talking about Nato in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly.”
It comes as European leaders continue to butt heads with Trump over his plans for ending the war in Ukraine.
The President has openly criticised Zelensky in recent days and even labelled him as a “dictator” for not holding elections in Ukraine.
Kyiv and Europe were also iced out of the beginning of peace talks between the US and Russia – which sparked diplomatic turmoil.
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