Germany faces difficult coalition talks after Sunday’s election ended in victory for the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — but a surge in support for the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is on course to be Germany’s next chancellor after securing around 29 per cent support.
Until final results, expected early on Monday, it was unclear how many other parties the CDU will need for a Bundestag parliamentary majority.
“I know that it will not be easy but now we will talk to each other as quickly as possible,” said Mr Merz. “The world out there is not holding its breath for long-winded coalition talks.”
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Germany’s outgoing ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) slipped nine points to a historic low of 16 per cent, a “bitter result” according to outgoing SPD chancellor Olaf Scholz. The 66-year-old indicated his departure from politics on Sunday evening, saying: “I will not go as an SPD representative into a CDU-led government nor negotiations for it.”
Sunday’s biggest winner was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which doubled its support in early forecasts to 20.5 per cent but has been shunned by all other parties.
Lead candidate Alice Weidel predicted a new Merz administration would “crash and burn” quickly, triggering early elections.
An ARD public television poll showed 69 per cent of respondents rejected AfD participation in government, with 28 per cent in favour.
With an 84 per cent turnout, the highest since 1990, no one issue preoccupied German voters on Sunday: one in five polled cited public security as well as social security concerns, while 15 per cent were worried by immigration and Germany’s flat economy.
After a turbulent term in a Scholz-lead coalition, late-night projections put the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) just below the 5 per cent parliamentary hurdle.
Clearing the hurdle into the Bundestag could make it a coalition kingmaker, but FDP leader Christian Lindner sounded pessimistic on Sunday night: “If my political career ends tomorrow, I depart with a feeling of gratitude.”
A final winner of the evening was the hard left Left (Linke), which bounced back from the brink of political oblivion to secure 8 per cent, up nearly four points on its last election result despite mass defections last year.
The Left’s breakaway rivals, the left-conservative alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), finished the evening in early forecasts just below the parliamentary hurdle of 4.9 per cent.
“If it’s not enough for us, then it is a defeat,” said Wagenknecht to supporter, “but it’s not the end of the BSW, we won’t do the others that favour.”
Green Party lead candidate Robert Habeck said his party, down two points to 13 per cent, was “ready for talks, but the mandate for government lies with Friedrich Merz”.
Fine Gael leader and Tánaiste Simon Harris congratulated Friedrich Merz and the CDU on a victory which brings to 12 the number of continental leaders from their European People’s Party (EPP).
“A strong Europe needs a strong Germany,” said Harris. “We have many common interests and many common challenges.”
