US president Donald Trump has hailed Sunday as a "great day for Germany" after an election in which conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz has claimed victory.
Exit polls have now been published in Germany’s election, suggesting frontrunner Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party has come out well in front, as the far-right AfD makes large gains.
In polling being watched closely across Europe and in the United States, the CDU/CSU bloc was on course to win first place with 28.5 per cent of the vote, followed by AfD with 20 per cent, marking the far-right party’s strongest result ever, public broadcaster ZDF reported.
Incumbent chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) garnered just 16.5 per cent of the vote, its worst-ever result, the projection showed.
Claiming victory, although the final official result is expected early on Monday, Merz said Germany's conservatives will do everything they can to form a government capable of taking action as quickly as possible.
Following the exit polls, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: "Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration.”
But Merz took aim at the US president in blunt remarks after his victory, criticising the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia.
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the snap election, the fourth in Germany’s history, after Scholz lost a vote of confidence on 15 January.
Key Points
- Trump hails 'great day for Germany' after conservatives win election
- Merz takes aim at Trump and calls for a Europe indepedent from US
- Germany's Scholz acknowledges defeat and congratulates challenger Merz
- AfD 'open' to coalition negotiations with CDU, says Weidel
- Germany's conservatives win election but hard coalition talks loom
- Exit polls show CDU win and huge gains for far right
Greens advise Merz to moderate his tone
03:58
,
Namita Singh
The Greens' candidate for chancellor, vice chancellor Robert Habeck, said that Friedrich Merz would do well to moderate his tone after a hard-fought campaign.
"We have seen the center is weakened overall, and everyone should look at themselves and ask whether they didn't contribute to that," said Mr Habeck.
"Now he must see that he acts like a chancellor."
The Greens were the party that suffered least from participating in Mr Scholz's unpopular government. The Social Democrats' general secretary, Matthias Miersch, suggested that their defeat was no surprise — "this election wasn't lost in the last eight weeks."
Merz struggle to establish viable government
03:38
,
Namita Singh
Whether Friedrich Merz will have a majority to form a coalition with Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats or need a second partner too, which would realistically have to be the Greens, will depend on whether the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance or BSW gets into parliament.
While Mr Merz’ party is projected to receive 28.5 per cent votes, the exit polls put Mr Scholz's Social Democrats at just over 16 per cent and Greens at about 12 per cent.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance , or the BSW is around five per cent.
The conservative leader said that "the most important thing is to re-establish a viable government in Germany as quickly as possible".
"I am aware of the responsibility," Mr Merz said. "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."
"The world out there isn't waiting for us, and it isn't waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations," he told cheering supporters.
What led to Scholz’ fall
03:23
,
Namita Singh
The election took place seven months earlier than originally planned after Olaf Scholz's unpopular coalition collapsed in November, three years into a term that was increasingly marred by infighting. There was widespread discontent and not much enthusiasm for any of the candidates.
The campaign was dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe's biggest economy and pressure to curb migration — something that caused friction after Friedrich Merz pushed hard in recent weeks for a tougher approach. It took place against a background of growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe's alliance with the United States.
Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of Nato. It has been Ukraine's second-biggest weapons supplier, after the US. It will be central to shaping the continent's response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration's confrontational foreign and trade policy.
The projections, based on exit polls and partial counting, put support for Mr Merz's Union bloc around 28.5 per cent and the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, about 20.5 per cent — roughly double its result from 2021.
They put support for Mr Scholz's Social Democrats at just over 16 per cent, far lower than in the last election and below their previous post-war low of 20.5 per cent from 2017. The environmentalist Greens, their remaining partners in the outgoing government, were on about 12 per cent.
Out of three smaller parties, one — the hard-left Left Party — strengthened its position, winning up to nine per cent of the vote after a remarkable comeback. The pro-business Free Democrats, who were the third party in the collapsed government, looked likely to lose their seats in parliament with about 4.5 per cent. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, or BSW, was hovering around the five per cent threshold needed to win seats.
Olaf Scholz concedes defeat
03:04
,
Namita Singh
Germany's conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz won a lackluster victory in a national election while Alternative for Germany doubled its support in the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II, projections showed.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat for his center-left Social Democrats after what he called "a bitter election result”.
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television showed his party finishing in third place with its worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election.
Mr Merz said he hopes to put a coalition government together by Easter.
Watch: Far-right AfD supporters in Germany cite rising crime and social changes as reasons for support
03:00
,
Tara Cobham
'I am aware of responsibility and scale of task ahead,' says Merz
02:30
,
Tara Cobham
"I am aware of the responsibility," Friedrich Merz has said as he claimed victory in Germany’s election.
"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."
"The world out there isn't waiting for us, and it isn't waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations," he told cheering supporters. "We must now become capable of acting quickly again."
AfD both drove and harnessed hardening attitudes towards migration in Germany
02:00
,
Tara Cobham
Attitudes towards migration in Germany have hardened, a profound shift in German public sentiment since its "Refugees Welcome" culture during Europe's migrant crisis in 2015, that the AfD has both driven and harnessed.
Germans are also more pessimistic about their living standards now than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008.
Lengthy coalition talks could leave Scholz in caretaker role for months
01:30
,
Tara Cobham
Lengthy coalition talks could leave Olaf Scholz in a caretaker role for months, delaying urgently needed policies to revive the German economy after two consecutive years of contraction and as companies struggle against global rivals.
A delay would also create a leadership vacuum in the heart of Europe even as it deals with a host of challenges such as Donald Trump threatening a trade war and attempting to fast-track a ceasefire deal for Ukraine without European involvement.
01:00
,
Tara Cobham
A brash economic liberal who has shifted the conservatives to the right, Friedrich Merz is considered the antithesis of former conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years.
Merz conditionally supports equipping Ukraine with longer-range Taurus missiles, a step Scholz's government shied away from, and sees Europe as firmly anchored in NATO.
Unclear whether Merz will need one or two partners to form majority
00:30
,
Tara Cobham
Merz is heading into coalition talks without a strong negotiating hand. But while his CDU/CSU emerged as the largest bloc, it scored its second worst post-war result.
It remains unclear whether Merz will need one or two partners to form a majority, with the fate of smaller parties unclear in a way that could jumble parliamentary arithmetic.
A three-way coalition would likely be much more unwieldy, hampering Germany's ability to show clear leadership.
"A three-party coalition runs the risk of more muddling through and more stagnation unless all parties involved realise that this is the last chance to bring change and to prevent the AfD from getting stronger," said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING.
"As long as the new government does not bring significant change, foreign investments will also be held back, weakening Germany's economic outlook."
Voter turnout at 83% highest since before reunification in 1990, according to exit polls
00:00
,
Tara Cobham
Voter turnout at 83 per cent was the highest since before reunification in 1990, according to exit polls.
Male voters tended more towards the right, while female voters showed stronger support for leftist parties.
Germany's Merz questions the longevity of NATO's 'current form'
Sunday 23 February 2025 23:43
Germany's likely next Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned on Sunday whether NATO would remain in its "current form" by June in light of the comments by US President Donald Trump's administration, and that Europe must quickly establish an independent defence capability.
"I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this in a TV show but, after Donald Trump's remarks last week...it is clear that this government does not care much about the fate of Europe," Merz told German public broadcaster ARD after his conservatives won a national election.
Last week, the Trump administration shocked European allies by telling them they must take care of their own security and rely less on the United States, while announcing talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine without involving Europe.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Europeans "stark strategic realities" would prevent the U.S. from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
Referring to a NATO summit scheduled for June, Merz said he was curious to see "whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form then or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly".
On Friday, Merz told public broadcaster ZDF that Germany would need to come to terms with the possibility that Trump might not stick with NATO's mutual-defence pledge unrestrictedly.
He said this meant that Berlin might need to become less reliant on the U.S. with regard to their nuclear umbrella, too, and advocated talks with Europe's nuclear powers France and Britain about an expansion of their nuclear protection.
Merz, a transatlanticist, has been more hawkish against Russia than the acting Chancellor Olaf Scholz, suggesting medium-range Taurus missiles might be sent to Kyiv under his reign, something Scholz has strictly rejected.
Germany's election dominated by years-long economic stagnation and migration pressures
Sunday 23 February 2025 23:30
,
Tara Cobham
Germany’s election was dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe's biggest economy and with pressure to curb migration.
It took place against a background of growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe's alliance with the US.
Social Democrats suggest defeat was no surprise
Sunday 23 February 2025 23:01
,
Tara Cobham
The Social Democrats' general secretary, Matthias Miersch, suggested that the defeat was no surprise after three years of the unpopular government.
"This election wasn't lost in the last eight weeks," he said.
The projections, based on exit polls and partial counting, put support for Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats at just over 16 per cent, far lower than in the last election.
Germany's conservatives win election but hard coalition talks loom
Sunday 23 February 2025 22:30
,
Tara Cobham
Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday but a fractured vote handed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) its best ever result in second place and left conservative leader Friedrich Merz facing messy coalition talks.
Merz, who has no previous experience in office, is set to become chancellor with Europe's largest economy ailing, its society split over migration and its security caught between a confrontational US and an assertive Russia and China.
After the collapse of incumbent Olaf Scholz's unloved coalition, Merz, 69, must forge a coalition from a fragmented parliament in a process that could take months.
His conservative bloc and other mainstream parties rule out working with the AfD, a party which has been endorsed by US figures including billionaire Elon Musk.
Merz takes aim at Trump and calls for a Europe indepedent from US
Sunday 23 February 2025 21:57
,
Tara Cobham
Friedrich Merz took aim at the US in blunt remarks after his expected victory, criticising the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the election campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia.
"So we are under such massive pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now is to achieve unity in Europe. It is possible to create unity in Europe," he told a roundtable with other leaders.
Merz's broadside against the US came despite President Donald Trump welcoming the conservative victory.
Hitherto seen as an atlanticist, Merz said Trump had shown his administration to be "largely indifferent to the fate of Europe".
Merz's "absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can achieve real independence from the USA step by step", he added.
Zelensky tells Merz he looks forward to working together to bring peace to Ukraine
Sunday 23 February 2025 21:44
,
Tara Cobham
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated conservative leader Friedrich Merz on his party's win in Germany's parliamentary elections and said he was looking forward to working together to bring "real" peace to Ukraine.
"I congratulate the CDU/CSU and Friedrich Merz on their victory in the Bundestag elections," Zelensky said in a post on X.
"We look forward to continuing our joint work with Germany to protect lives, bring real peace closer to Ukraine, and strengthen Europe."
I congratulate the CDU/CSU and @_FriedrichMerz on their victory in the Bundestag elections. A clear voice from the voters, and we see how important this is for Europe.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 23, 2025
We look forward to continuing our joint work with Germany to protect lives, bring real peace closer to Ukraine,…
European unity needed to counter US or Russian interference, says Merz
Sunday 23 February 2025 21:33
,
Tara Cobham
Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said his top priority was to work towards unity in Europe in order to counter interference from the United States or Russia.
He had no illusions about challenges in the relationship with the US, Merz said in a panel at broadcasters ARD and ZDF.
"The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow," he said, in reference to support offered by US billionaire Elon Musk to Germany's far right during the election.
Reaction to Germany's election from politicians around the world
Sunday 23 February 2025 21:00
,
Tara Cobham
Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second on its best ever result, projected results showed.
Here is some international reaction to the results.
US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ON TRUTH SOCIAL
"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. This is a great day for Germany."
GREECE PRIME MINISTER KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS ON X
"A decisive victory for our political family, for Germany, and for Europe. Congratulations Friedrich Merz! One thing is clear: you will be Germany's next chancellor".
CZECH PRIME MINISTER PETR FIALA ON X
"Congratulations to Friedrich Merz and the CDU/CSU on winning the German elections. I wish you a lot of strength and success in forming the federal government. I look forward to the further deepening of Czech-German cooperation and joint work on a stronger Europe."
HERBERT KICKL, LEADER OF AUSTRIAN FAR-RIGHT FREEDOM PARTY
"As of today, there is a gaping hole in the firewall of he parties of the system, which is really a wall of fear against the will of the people and of democratic change - caused by the hopes of people fed up with being patronised, with illegal mass immigration, and the Islamist terror and security chaos resulting from it, climate communism and the destruction of prosperity.
"Today, a gentle, soothing wind of the freedom of 1989 is blowing through Berlin and the entire Federal Republic."
MATTEO SALVINI, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF ITALY
"Change is winning in Germany too! AfD doubles its votes, despite attacks and lies from the left: stop illegal immigration and Islamic fanaticism, enough with the eco-madness, prioritize peace and jobs, Europe must be radically changed.
"Well done (AfD co-leader) Alice Weidel, keep it up!"
FDP chief Lindner to leave politics if his party drops out of parliament
Sunday 23 February 2025 20:40
,
Tara Cobham
The leader of Germany's Free Democrats (FDP), Christian Lindner, will leave politics if his party does not make it into the new parliament, he said in a post-election panel discussion aired by public broadcasters on Sunday.
"If the FDP leaves the Bundestag, it is quite clear that I will also leave politics," said Lindner, who served as finance minister until the collapse of the coalition government. "If my political career ends tomorrow, I will leave with only one feeling: gratitude."
More than two hours after polling stations closed, it remained unclear whether the FDP would get over the 5 per cent threshold needed to enter parliament.
Germany's Scholz: will not negotiate new government with Merz
Sunday 23 February 2025 20:20
,
Tara Cobham
Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not take part in coalition negotiations with the conservative bloc if Friedrich Merz invites the Social Democrats, Scholz said on Sunday.
"I will not be a SPD representative in a federal government led by the CDU, nor will I negotiate it," said Scholz in a post-election panel discussion aired by public broadcasters.
'Next time we'll come first': German far-right celebrates breakthrough
Sunday 23 February 2025 19:59
,
Tara Cobham
For the first time since the Second World War, a far-right party has come second in a German national election, a result that will keep it outside government but make it a fearsome opponent of the ruling parties.
The Alternative for Germany, which has morphed since it was founded in 2013 from a party of libertarian economists to an anti-immigration, pro-Russia group, is forecast to have won the backing of one-in-five Germans.
The AfD has little chance of joining the government as the other parties maintain a "fire wall" to keep it out of office, but leader Alice Weidel implied in her victory speech that it was only a matter of time before that changed.
"Our hand remains outstretched to form a government," she told supporters, adding that it would be tantamount to "electoral fraud" if the first-placed conservatives chose to govern with left-wing parties rather than them.
If that happened, she said, "next time we'll come first."
Weidel, the leader of a nativist party that preaches traditional family values while raising her children with a Swiss-based woman of Sri Lankan background, said the AfD was now "a mainstream party".
Once internationally isolated, it now has an ally in the White House, where Donald Trump's adviser Elon Musk, the world's richest person, regularly posts his support.
"It's the most amazing feeling. I've been here since its founding and to see it on 20 per cent is amazing. We'll be kept out of coalition, but as you can see, the conservatives are taking all of our positions," said Gilbert Kalb, an AfD member celebrating at the party's headquarters.
Trump hails 'great day for Germany' after conservatives win election
Sunday 23 February 2025 19:34
,
Tara Cobham
US president Donald Trump hailed Sunday as a "great day for Germany" after an election in which the centre-right opposition won first place followed by the far-right AfD with its strongest result ever.
"Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "This is a great day for Germany."
Germany's Merz: We want to form a government representing the whole country
Sunday 23 February 2025 19:32
Germany's conservative leader Friedrich Merz, poised to become the new chancellor after his conservative bloc won most votes in the parliamentary election, said he would try to form a government that represents the whole country.
Merz repeated that there would not be a coalition with the far-right AfD party.
Leading German conservative does not see coalition with Greens
Sunday 23 February 2025 19:05
,
Tara Cobham
Markus Soeder, premier of Germany's Bavaria state and leader of the CSU party, said he had no hope a government could work with the Greens as projections see his conservative coalition with the CDU as the winner of the general election on Sunday.
Soeder, who already had ruled out a coalition with the Greens before the snap election, pointed to the party's immigration policies, which are at odds with the conservatives' demands for a tougher line.
German foreign minister says country needs strong government
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:57
,
Tara Cobham
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said a strong Europe and a strong government were needed after the far-right AfD doubled its share of votes in Germany's snap election on Sunday, according to projections by major broadcasters.
Baerbock, a prominent member of the Greens, added that democratic parties must now act in unison.
AfD 'open' to coalition negotiations with CDU, says Weidel
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:40
,
Tara Cobham
The AfD is “open” to coalition negotiations with the CDU, the far-right party’s leader Alice Weidel has said.
In her first comments since exit polls showed a huge surge in support for the AfD, she said: "We are open to coalition negotiations with the CDU."
Merz calls CDU's predicted win shows Germany is 'present in Europe again'
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:38
,
Tara Cobham
German center-right leader of the CDU Friedrich Merz has said his party’s predicted election win shows Germany is “present in Europe again” and will be reliably governed.
German conservative chancellor candidate Merz: We will work to form government quickly
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:35
,
Tara Cobham
Germany's conservatives will do everything they can to form a government capable of taking action as quickly as possible, chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz said on Sunday.
"Tonight we will celebrate and from tomorrow we start working," Merz said in a first reaction in Berlin, surrounded by supporters. "The world out there is not waiting for us.
Germany's Scholz acknowledges defeat and congratulates challenger Merz
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:32
,
Tara Cobham
German chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged defeat on Sunday and congratulated his conservative challenger Friedrich Merz.
"This is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party, it is also an electoral defeat," Scholz said in a first reaction.
"Congratulations on the election result," he said in remarks directed towards Merz.
German politicians' first reactions to exit polls
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:30
,
Tara Cobham
Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result, projections showed.
Here are first reactions:
FRIEDRICH MERZ, CDU LEADER AND CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE
"Tonight we will celebrate, and from tomorrow we start working. ... The world out there is not waiting for us."
ALICE WEIDEL, AfD PARTY LEADER
"We are open to coalition negotiations with the CDU."
OLAF SCHOLZ, SPD CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE
"This is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party. It is also an election defeat, and I think that needs to be made clear at the outset."
BORIS PISTORIUS, SPD MEMBER AND DEFENCE MINISTER
"The decisive factor is that we have to soberly state that this is a devastating, catastrophic result."
ROBERT HABECK, GREENS CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE
"Germany is now facing a difficult task of forming a government. This must now be completed quickly and successfully."
CARSTEN LINNEMANN, CDU GENERAL SECRETARY
"The traffic light coalition has finally been voted out... The new chancellor will be Friedrich Merz."
ALEXANDER DOBRINDT, CSU CHAIRMAN
"I am still convinced that there is no change of policy among the Greens and therefore I cannot imagine that a coalition (with the Greens) will be formed."
MATTHIAS MIERSCH, SPD GENERAL SECRETARY
"This is a historic defeat for the SPD. ... This is a very bitter evening."
'Catastrophic election result', says German defence minister Pistorius
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:27
,
Tara Cobham
German defence minister Boris Pistorius called the election result catastrophic for his Social Democrats and said that it was now about democrats sticking together.
"This is a devastating, catastrophic result," he said in an interview with broadcaster ARD. Asked about his own future, he said it was on the party to decide what's next.
Austrian conservative leader congratulates Germany's Merz on election win
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:21
,
Tara Cobham
Christian Stocker, the leader of Austria's conservative People's Party, who looks poised to become the country's next chancellor, congratulated German conservative leader Friedrich Merz for his expected victory in Sunday's parliamentary election in Germany.
"Like Austria, Germany is facing many challenges, and at a time like this, decisive action and strengthening the business location is the order of the day," Stocker said in a statement.
As count continues, what do current vote projections show?
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:20
,
Andy Gregory
The latest projection from broadcaster ARD – which is based on ongoing vote counts – has given a similar set of results to those in exit polls.
Its early projection suggests Friedrich Merz’s CDU has won 28.9 per cent of the vote, while AfD have secured 19.9 and, crucially, the two smaller parties – the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and populist, pro-Russian Reason and Justice party (BSW) – have fallen just shy of the 5 per cent threshold.
However, a projection by the research group Wahlen puts both of the smaller parties on 5.0 per cent.
It could make it more difficult for Mr Merz to form a coalition if both smaller parties succeed in entering parliament.
Analysis: Merz set to now consider coalition options
Sunday 23 February 2025 18:18
,
Tom Watling, in Berlin
Here in the cold of Berlin, the expected next chancellor of Freidrich Merz has hailed a "terrific election campaign" that his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) should win, exit polls and early projections suggest.
He will now look to see how he can form a coalition. The likely aim will be a two-party government with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). The early projections have them at 16 per cent.
A three-party coalition may also be on the cards, most likely with the economically liberal FDP, though projections have them just 0.1 per cent under the five per cent threshold to qualify for office.
But behind the victorious CDU lays the far-right Alternative for Germany. They have more than doubled their share of the vote, according to the projection, to come second, profiting off years of economic difficulty in Germany and backlash to a spate of terror attacks.
It is the largest political victory for the far right in Germany since World War II. In their speech in the German capital, AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla described the result as one that could bring about “epochal change”.
For many, Mr Merz is now leading a government of last chance. If it fails, the AfD will be waiting in the wings.
Exit polling suggests Germany no longer 'outlier' on far-right, analyst says
Sunday 23 February 2025 17:57
,
Andy Gregory
Germany’s exit poll results indicating the far-right has doubled its vote share to around 20 per cent are in line with a “broader trend throughout Europe”, an analyst has suggested.
Dr Jana Puglierin, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, told the BBC: “I think Germany has become a bit more normal, we have been an outlier in Europe with relatively small numbers of the far-right.”
Warning that this is “worrying me greatly”, Dr Puglierin warned that a new coalition government will have to deliver and warned that it is “crucial” for CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s bloc to secure at least 30 per cent of the vote or risk opening “the field for possible competitors”.
Merz declares victory and insists coalition talks will be swift after exit polls published
Sunday 23 February 2025 17:49
,
Andy Gregory
Frontrunner Friedrich Merz has declared victory for his CDU/CSU bloc after exit polls suggested they have secured nearly 30 per cent of the vote.
Speaking to supporters at an election event in Berlin, Mr Merz said: “It is important to form a government as soon as possible. We need a government with a good parliamentary majority because, my friends, the world outside is not waiting for us – and won’t wait for longlasting coalition negotiations.
“We need to be able to act soon so we can do everything that is required internally, to make sure that we’re present in Europe, and to make sure that everybody in the world sees that Germany has got a reliable and trustworthy government.
“That is what I am working for and what I am standing for.”
Mr Merz’s words were greeted with jubilance as he declared that attendees could now “party” at the election event as the ballots are counted.
However Deutsche Welle’s correspondent at the event described relief that a two-party coalition appeared to remain a possibility – but no “ecstatic” joy given that many supporters would hope to win a “psychologically important” 30 per cent of the vote, with exit polls putting the party’s vote share slightly below that.
Scholz's SPD says it is facing 'historic defeat'
Sunday 23 February 2025 17:35
The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) has said it is facing a “historic defeat” after exit polls suggested chancellor Olaf Sholz’s party was on course to take just 16 per cent of the vote, in what would mark its worst-ever result.
“This is a historic defeat for the SPD ...This is a very bitter evening,” said the party’s general secretary Matthias Miersch.
Mr Scholz had insisted in the final day of campaigning on Saturday that his party could emerge victorious, as he suggested that voters could cast both of their ballots for the SPD.
How do exit poll results compare with 2021 election?
Sunday 23 February 2025 17:26
,
Andy Gregory
Exit poll results suggest vast gains for the far-right AfD party and a sizeable shift in the fortunes of Germany’s two largest parties – the incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) and frontrunners in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The number of smaller parties which make it over the 5 per cent threshold to enter parliament will likely decide the shape of the next government. If fewer parties succeed in doing so, frontrunner Friedrich Merz could be able to form a two-party coalition, but if seats are more dispersed, then he could be forced into a more unwieldy three-party agreement.
Exit polling reported by Deutcshe Welle suggests the final result could be:
- CDU/CSU: 29 per cent
- AfD: 19.5 per cent
- SPD: 16 p