Germany’s likely chancellor Friedrich Merz has said the rise of the far-right AfD party is a “final warning” to democratic parties.
Mr Merz, leader of the centre-right conservative party, is set to become Germany’s new chancellor after provisional results confirmed his mainstream conservatives had won the national election.
The AfD surged to become the nation’s second-largest party – the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.
Speaking at a press conference following his victory, Mr Mertz said that the fact the AfD has doubled its vote share in percentage terms is a "real warning bell, a real alarm bell for the political parties of the centre in Germany to come up with shared solutions".
Merz has said he wants to build a coalition with the outgoing chancellors’ Olaf Scholz’ centre-left party SDP.
Mr Merz, leader of the centre-right conservatives, hopes to start talks “in the coming days”.
The conservatives won 208 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag, while the AfD won 152. The three parties in the former governing coalition lost seats, with the center-left Social Democrats falling to 120 seats and the Greens to 85.
Key Points
- Visual | Election preliminary result
- Merz says he wants to continue strong relationship with the US
- Incoming Chancellor says he wants to build coalition with Scholz' SDP
- Scholz says serving as chancellor a 'great honour'
- Conservatives win German election as far-right party surges to second place
Who are the AfD's allies abroad?
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Jabed Ahmed
AfD's rise has coincided with that of far-right parties in many other European countries, including Austria's Freedom Party and the National Rally in France, with which it has plenty of common ground. Orbán this month described Weidel as “the future of Germany.”
However, it isn't part of those parties' Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament after some tensions before last year's EU election. AfD was thrown out of one of the group's predecessors after its leading candidate at the time, Maximilian Krah, said that not all Nazi SS men “were necessarily criminals.”
Musk, a tech billionaire and close ally of US President Donald Trump, has declared that “only the AfD can save Germany.” He held a live chat on X with Weidel and appeared live by video link at an AfD campaign rally.
At that rally, Weidel vowed to “make Germany great again” in an echo of Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.
Nine days before the election, Vance met with Weidel after a speech to the Munich Security Conference in which he lectured European leaders about democracy and free speech and declared that “there’s no room for firewalls.” Mainstream German parties' refusal to work with AfD is often referred to as the “firewall.”
Mapped: The German election results after far right AfD sees surge in support in the East
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Jabed Ahmed
Watch | Merz says world 'is not waiting' for Germany
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Jabed Ahmed
2021 vs 2025 National Election
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Jabed Ahmed
Merz says he will find a way for Netanyahu to visit Germany without being arrested
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Jabed Ahmed
Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit and would find a way for him to do so without being arrested under a warrant by the International Criminal Court.
"I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli Prime Minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany," Merz said at a press conference a day after his conservatives won the largest share of the vote in a national election.
He said he had told Netanyahu by phone "that we would find ways and means for him to visit Germany and leave again without being arrested".
Netanyahu's office said Netanyahu had congratulated Merz,and that Merz had told Netanyahu he would invite him to Germany "in defiance of the scandalous International Criminal Court decision to label the Prime Minister a war criminal".
The Hague-based ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister as well as Hamas officials for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.
All 27 EU countries including Germany are signatories of the founding treaty of the court, the only permanent international tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity, which requires members to arrest its suspects on their territory.
German CDU leader Merz welcomes UK's interest in improving Europe ties
14:51
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Jabed Ahmed
Germany's conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz has welcomed the interest shown by prime minister Keir Starmer in improving ties with Europe, adding that the two had spoken several time in the last few weeks.
"I very much welcome the fact that Great Britain is once again seeking proximity to Europe, to the European Union," Merz told reporters after his conservative bloc won most votes in a national election on Sunday.
Friedrich Merz: Who is Germany’s election winner and how will he fare against AfD leader Alice Weidel?
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Jabed Ahmed
14:14
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Jabed Ahmed
Far-right leds in the east and young voters lead a hard-left revival
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Jabed Ahmed
The far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, emerged as the strongest party across the country's formerly communist and less prosperous east. That cemented its primacy in a region that has long been its stronghold, and where it won its first state election last year.
Other parties were stronger in only a few eastern constituencies outside Berlin. In western Germany, which accounts for most of the country's population, AfD trailed Merz's Union and sometimes other parties too but still polled strongly on its way to 20.8% of the nationwide vote, the highest postwar score for a far-right party.
While AfD made the biggest gains, the Left Party made the most unexpected. The party appeared headed for electoral oblivion at the start of the campaign but pulled off a resounding comeback to take 8.8% of the vote.
The Left Party appealed to young voters with very liberal positions on social and migration issues and a tax-the-rich policy, backed up by a savvy social media campaign.
It benefited from polarization during the campaign after a motion Merz put to parliament calling for many more migrants to be turned back at the border passed. Merz's conservatives have long refused to work with the Left Party, so there was no prospect of it putting him in the chancellery.
Mapped
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Jabed Ahmed
Merz will face pressure to solve some of Europe’s biggest problems, analyst says
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Jabed Ahmed
Wolfgang Merkel, a political analyst from the WBZ Berlin Social Science Center, says there will high pressure on Friedrich Merz as Germany’s next chancellor to help solve some of Europe’s most urgent problems.
Merz will be expected to help find a united European response to issues such as security and defense, especially when it comes to Russia’s aggressive stance.
“Interests are so different within the European Union, including the political majorities, that we shouldn’t expect a resounding common EU policy,” he said, adding that it will likely be “the usual game of muddling through.”
Merz says he wants to continue strong relationship with the US
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Jabed Ahmed
Merz says he will do everything he can to continue a good transatlantic relationship with the United States — even if this may be more difficult with the new Trump administration.
He says that even though “all the signals we are getting from the USA indicate that interest in Europe is clearly waning ... I hope that we can convince the Americans that it is in our mutual interest that we continue to have good transatlantic relations.”
He told reporters that “if those who really do not just make America first, but almost America alone their motto, prevail, then it will be difficult. But I remain hopeful that we will succeed in maintaining the transatlantic relationship.”
He warned that if the good relationship “is destroyed, it will not only be to the detriment of Europe, it will also be to the detriment of America.”
Merz thanks 40million people who voted for conservatives
12:46
Incoming Chancellor says he wants to build coalition with Scholz' SDP
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Jabed Ahmed
Friedrich Merz has said he wants to build a coalition with the outgoing chancellors’ centre-left party SDP.
Mr Merz, leader of the centre-right conservatives, hopes to start talks “in the coming days”.
In a separate press conference, SDP co-leader Lars Klingbeil, said whether the SDP becomes part of the government coalition is not decided yet.
Scholz: 'Bitter election result'
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Jabed Ahmed
Outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the election result, in which his centre-left SDP party came third, is a “bitter result”.
He added that his party “tried to do a good job in face of one of the greatest challenges facing our country since 1945.”
“Just as I was responsible for the success, I am of course responsible for the current result,” Mr Scholz added.
German foreign minister: Greens party will support debt reform
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Jabed Ahmed
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said her Greens party will seek to support any efforts by the country's future government to reform laws that limit public debt even as the party is set to take an opposition role in parliament.
"We see a responsibility that is greater than our party, a responsibility that will be decisive with regard to the question whether Germany will remain in a position to act," Baerbock said in a press conference, citing security needs amid the war in Ukraine.
German leftist BSW party considers challenging national election result
12:19
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Jabed Ahmed
Germany's political newcomer, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), said on Monday it might legally challenge the results of the national election after narrowly missing the 5% hurdle to enter parliament.
The leftist populist BSW, which was created last year, scored 4.97% in Sunday's election, lacking just 13,400 votes to enter parliament in a country where around 60 million people are eligible to cast a ballot.
Some Germans abroad, including the ambassador to Britain, had complained of not receiving paperwork for their postal votes on time, a situation BSW leaders pointed to in a news conference on Monday.
"This raises the question of the legal validity of the election result," said the BSW's eponymous leader Sahra Wagenknecht.
"We will examine this and, of course, consult with lawyers, which is why this is only mentioned briefly at the end."
Wagenknecht said it was not yet clear how many of the 230,000 Germans registered to vote abroad were unable in the end to cast their ballot.
However, even if none of those had been able to vote, and 5% supported the BSW, that would still only be an extra 11,500 votes.
Chairwoman Amira Mohamed Ali said there were also indications there may have been errors during the vote count but said there were high hurdles to contesting an election in Germany.
"We are checking whether it has a chance of success," she said. "If we see that it does, then we will take the step."
scholz says serving as chancellor a 'great honour'
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Jabed Ahmed
Chancellor Olaf Scholz says it has been “a great honor” to serve as Germany’s ninth postwar leader and that it’s important to him to bring his job to an orderly end.
Scholz said on Monday that the election result from the vote the day before was bitter for his party and “it hasn’t become better today.”
“I would like to stress that it is a great honor to be the ninth chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the fourth Social Democrat who can fill this job in the history of the federal republic,” he said, speaking at his party’s headquarters.
“It is very, very important to me to carry out this work in an orderly way until the last day,” he added.
It’s unclear when that will be. Scholz’s outgoing minority government will remain in office while Friedrich Merz, who until now was Germany’s opposition leader, tries to put together a coalition.
Pictured | Outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz gives speech following defeat
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Jabed Ahmed
International reaction to German election
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Jabed Ahmed
Donald Trump
On Truth Social, president Trump said: "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."
Emmanuel Macron
"I just spoke with Friedrich Merz to congratulate him on his victory in the German elections.
"I also had an exchange with Olaf Scholz to express my friendship on this evening.
"We are more determined than ever to achieve great things together for France and Germany and work towards a strong and sovereign Europe. In this time of uncertainty, we are united to face the major challenges of the world and our continent."
Volodymyr Zelensky
"I congratulate the CDU/CSU and Friedrich Merz on their victory in the Bundestag elections. A clear voice from the voters, and we see how important this is for Europe.
"We look forward to continuing our joint work with Germany to protect lives, bring real peace closer to Ukraine, and strengthen Europe.
"Europe must be able to defend itself, develop its industries, and achieve the necessary results. Europe needs shared successes, and those success will bring even greater unity to Europe."
Benjamin Netanyahu
"Congratulations to Friedrich Merz and CDU/CSU on their clear election victory today. Looking forward to working closely with your upcoming government to further strengthen the partnership between our two countries."
Elon Musk wants the far right AfD to win the German election - here’s how he became their champion
11:46
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Jabed Ahmed
Germany’s leading political figures say Musk will face consequences for his endorsement of the country’s far-right party, Tom Watling and Alicja Hagopian write
Germany's Habeck to give up leading role in Greens after election result
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Jabed Ahmed
Germany's Robert Habeck, who had run in Sunday's election as the chancellor candidate for the environmentalist Greens, said he would no longer take a leading role in his party after what he described as a disappointing result.
"This result does not meet my expectations. It is not a good result," Habeck, also economy minister, told reporters on Monday.
"I will no longer seek any leading role in the personnel setup of the Greens," he said.
The party, which ruled with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and the Free Democrats until November, when the coalition collapsed, came fourth in the vote with 11.6%. There is almost no prospect of the party having a role in government.
Germany's debt brake reform in current parliament is unrealistic, minister says
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Jabed Ahmed
A reform of the German debt brake, which caps public borrowing, seems unrealistic under the current government, Finance Minister Joerg Kukies told Reuters.
"First of all, there's far too little time, and secondly, it would also be a questionable political signal if constitutional amendments were now made with an old majority," Kukies said.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Germany's Left party jointly secured a third of seats in the new parliament enabling them to block changes to the constitution, including a loosening of the country's debt brake.
German stocks and Euro rise following election results
11:06
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Jabed Ahmed
The euro and German stocks rallied on Monday as investors welcomed Germany’s election result that put centrist parties on track to form a coalition, although optimism was tempered by potentially tricky negotiations over economic policy.
"Because the German election didn't provide too many surprises, it's not that surprising that euro/dollar is trading back to the levels it was trading in on Friday afternoon," said Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank.
Investors are now focused on how quickly Merz's party can form a coalition government and enact reforms to help revive a stagnant economy.
Meanwhile Germany's DAX stock index .GDAXI rose 0.73% in early trading. The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose 0.19%, although tech stocks slipped.
Merz will push up debt with help of left, says AfD leader
10:53
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Jabed Ahmed
The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second largest party in parliament after Sunday's election, said Germany's likely next chancellor would be held hostage by left-wing parties that would seek to loosen tough fiscal rules.
The AfD's Alice Weidel compared the country's finances to those of a company, saying that the likely new government of conservative leader Friedrich Merz would be forced by left-wing parties into borrowing more.
"(He) won't be able to implement anything that he promised," she said of Merz, a fiscal conservative who has however indicated that he is open to easing Germany's debt brake in order to increase defence spending.
"He will compromise with the left to loosen the debt brake, and that's the opposite of what the country needs... The state should function like a company and when a company is over-indebted you know what happens," she added.
The AfD's success means it is time for other parties, in particular Merz's conservatives, to ditch the so-called "fire wall", she said, referring to a consensus among the mainstream parties to exclude the AfD from power.
"This blockade is undemocratic," Weidel said. "You can't simply exclude millions of voters... We have built a strategic basis from which we can overtake the conservatives in coming years, becoming the biggest political force."
Nearly one in four men and almost 20% of women vote for far-right AfD
10:39
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Jabed Ahmed
Male voters tended more towards the centre-right CDU/CSU and far-right AfD, while female voters showed stronger support for the centre-left SPD and the hard-left Die Linke party.
Charted | How does the 2025 election result compare to the last time voters went to polls
10:29
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Jabed Ahmed
Kremlin says it hopes to work with new German government on areas of 'mutual interest'
10:19
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Jabed Ahmed
The Kremlin has said it hoped Germany's next government would take what it called a more sober approach to reality and issues of mutual interest after Sunday's election victory for Friedrich Merz's conservatives.
Russia's ties with Germany have been strained in recent years over Berlin's military support for Ukraine.
Asked if Merz's arrival would allow Russia and Germany to build a more constructive relationship like the one under former German chancellor Angela Merkel, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:
"Each time (there's a new government) we want to hope for a more sober approach to reality, for a more sober approach to what could be issues of mutual interest (between Russia and Germany), mutual benefits.
"But let's see how it will be in reality."
Russia supplied about 65 per cent of the gas which powered German homes and industry before the start of Moscow's war in Ukraine three years ago, according to the Brookings Institution, a US think-tank.
Germany has dramatically reduced its dependency on Russian gas since then, and ties between the countries have since been further strained over Berlin's military assistance to Ukraine.
Weidel praises Trump's efforts with DOGE
10:09
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Jabed Ahmed
Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right AfD has praised US president Donald Trump’s efforts to cut hundreds of thousands of federal workers' jobs.
The cost-cutting crusade is led by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
Ms Weidel said that “Americans are going in exactly the right direction” and that her party would do the same in Germany if they were in power.
“What we have here is a political apparatus of civil servants that is highly inefficient and that actually manages itself at the taxpayer’s expense,” she said.
Weidel says people should stop associating the party with facism
09:59
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Jabed Ahmed
Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the far-right AfD, has said the media should stop “pulling us through the cocoa”, in reference to associations with fascism.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Ms Weidal said she received a personal congratulations message from billionaire Elon Musk this morning.
“We’re the power in Germany that is internationally recognised,” she added.“We’re in contact with all sides and that includes the Trump administration.”
Hungary's far-right Viktor Orban hails the AfD result
09:50
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Jabed Ahmed
Hungary’s far-right prime minister Viktor Orban has congratulated the AfD on their election result.
Writing on X, previously Twitter, Mr Orban said: “The people of Germany voted for change in immense numbers. I want to congratulate Alice Weidel on doubling AfD’s share of the votes. Good luck and God bless Germany!”
The people of Germany voted for change in immense numbers. I want to congratulate @Alice_Weidel on doubling @AfD’s share of the votes. Good luck and God bless Germany!
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) February 24, 2025
Parties refuse to work with far-right AfD in next governing coalition
09:41
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Jabed Ahmed
Alternative for Germany has achieved the strongest showing by a far-right party since World World II, becoming the second strongest force in the national parliament and the most popular party in eastern Germany.
Yet the country’s mainstream parties still refuse to work with it. The principle is known as a “firewall” against extreme right forces after the trauma of the Nazi era.
Mr Merz has ruled out a coalition with the AfD and Olaf Scholz, whose Social Democrats party might be necessary as a junior party in the next government, said on Sunday that he hopes all political parties continue their traditional refusal to work with the far right.
“No cooperation with the extreme right,” Mr Scholz said.
Still, a growing number of Germans feel the other parties have failed to manage the large-scale immigration to Germany of the past decade.
AfD deputy leader says Germany's future is 'bright'
09:31
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Jabed Ahmed
Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of the far-right AfD, has said the election results show “people want to close our borders”.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Von Storch said. “The future is bright - it's about migration.”
“People want to close our borders, to not let any illegal migrant into our country, to send back all the hundreds of thousands who came from Syria and celebrated the fall of Assad in our streets, and those from Afghanistan and when peace is in Ukraine, also those from Ukraine,” she added.
Von Storch said people should go back to those countries voluntarily, as there are no longer wars to justify their asylum.
Merz will invite Israel’s prime minister to Germany despite an arrest warrant, Netanyahu’s office says
09:19
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Jabed Ahmed
The office of Israel’s prime minister has said Friedrich Merz will invite Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Germany despite an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader from the UN’s top war-crimes court.
The two spoke by phone on Sunday night as Netanyahu congratulated Merz on his victory, the prime minister’s office said.
Merz’s party confirmed the phone call with Netanyahu but said it doesn’t comment on the contents of such conversations.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu, his former defence minister and Hamas’ military chief, who was later confirmed killed in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.
The warrant puts Netanyahu at risk of arrest whenever he travels to a country that is a member of the court. Neither Israel nor its top ally, the United States, are members of the court.
09:09
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Jabed Ahmed
Merz questions Nato's future in 'current form'
08:59
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Jabed Ahmed
Germany's likely next Chancellor Friedrich Merz has questioned whether Nato would remain in its "current form" by June in light of comments by US President Donald Trump's administration.
"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.
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".
Asked about Merz's remarks, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said: "It signals we are at the start of a new era."
"The era that started at the fall of the Berlin Wall is now over," Veldkamp said, speaking ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, adding that Europeans had to have "realistic expectations" about their relations with the United States.
Germany's AfD and Left win enough seats to veto constitutional changes
08:46
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Jabed Ahmed
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Germany's Left party jointly secured one third of seats in the new parliament that is required to block changes to the constitution, including a loosening of the country's debt brake.
The debt brake restricts budget deficits to 0.35% of gross domestic product, though that excludes top-ups of the special fund for defence or the creation of a new special fund.
However, both the AfD and the Left oppose military aid to Ukraine and with their new-found strength in the Bundestag lower house they could veto increased contributions to the defence fund, creating tensions with Germany's NATO allies, including the Trump administration which wants Europe to spend much more.
Merz promises to unify Europe despite challenges from the US and Russia
08:39
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Jabed Ahmed
Friedrich Merz has said his top priority is to unify Europe in the face of challenges coming from the United States and Russia.
Both Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump's ally Elon Musk have openly supported the far-right AfD, which surged to second place in Sunday's election.
“I have no illusions at all about what is happening from America,” Merz told supporters.
“We are under such massive pressure,” he added. "My absolute priority now is really to create unity in Europe.”
Turkish immigrant group in Germany criticises far-right AfD’s election gains
08:28
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Jabed Ahmed
The leader of one of Germany’s biggest immigrant groups has criticised AfD’s second-place finish in Germany's election on Sunday.
Aslıhan Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay of the Turkish Community in Germany group said though the AfD won't be part of the next government, it will still have the power to "determine the discourse and drive this country against the wall.”
About 25 per cent of Germans have immigrant roots and people of Turkish descent are the biggest group.
Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay added: “many parties have followed the AfD’s narrative to varying degrees and have promised to solve the ‘migration problem’ — with the aim of pushing the AfD back. This has been a resounding failure.”
“People with a migrant roots are frightened and are thinking about leaving Germany," Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay said. "Without migration our country has no future.”
How did voter age affect vote?
08:07
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Alex Croft
Age was one of the vital factors defining how German’s voted in yesterday’s election.
The Left party won among voters in the 18-24 range with 25 per cent of the vote. The AfD came second in that category with 21 per cent - just higher than their national vote share.
Over 70s were the least likely to vote for the far right AfD, while 35-44 year olds were the most likely, at 26 per cent.
Only 13 per cent of 18-24 year olds voted for the CDU/CSU - the largest party in the Bundestag - rising steadily throughout the age groups to 42 per cent among over 70s.
Germany’s Friedrich Merz takes swipe at Trump and calls for ‘independence from the USA’
07:55
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Alex Croft
Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for ‘independence from the USA’ in his first speech after winning the German elections.
In an early indication of his policy intentions, he took aim at the U.S. after his win, criticising the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia.
"For me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can achieve real independence from the USA step by step," Mr Merz said on Sunday.
“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.”
Sam Rkaina reports:
Starmer congratulates incoming chancellor Merz
07:47
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated leader of the CDU/CSU coalition, Freidrich Merz, for a successful election night.
Sir Keir wrote on X: “Congratulations to @_FriedrichMerz and @CDU/@CSU for the results in Germany’s election.
“I look forward to working with the new government to deepen our already strong relationship, enhance our joint security and deliver growth for both our countries.”
Congratulations to @_FriedrichMerz and @CDU/@CSU for the results in Germany’s election.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 23, 2025
I look forward to working with the new government to deepen our already strong relationship, enhance our joint security and deliver growth for both our countries.
Merz: Now more than ever, we must support Ukraine
07:38
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Alex Croft
The man highly likely to become Germany’s next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has spoken out on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Three years of Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Three years of war in Europe,” he wrote on X on Monday morning.
“For three years, we have been accompanied by the terrible images of destruction and war crimes. Europe remains firmly on the side of Ukraine.
“Now more than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength. For a just peace, the attacked country must be part of peace negotiations.”
Approach to the Russia-Ukraine war is one of the crucial points of contention between the centre-right CDU/CSU and far-right AfD, with the former ruling out a coalition.
CDU leader Mr Merz has previously criticised the party for having “not a single critical word to say about Russia”, while CSU leader Markus Soder said a coalition with the AfD would “turn our country into a vassal state of Moscow”.
Drei Jahre russischer Angriffskrieg gegen die #Ukraine. Drei Jahre Krieg in Europa. Seit drei Jahren begleiten uns die schrecklichen Bilder von Zerstörung und Kriegsverbrechen. Europa steht unverändert fest an der Seite der Ukraine. Es gilt mehr denn je: Wir müssen die Ukraine in…
— Friedrich Merz (@_FriedrichMerz) February 24, 2025
Germany's election night in pictures
07:30
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Alex Croft
Full report: Conservatives win German election as far-right party surges to second place
07:14
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Alex Croft
Germany’s conservative opposition won the most votes in the snap national election as mainstream parties vowed to fight a surge in far-right support off the back of a spate of terror attacks and economic turmoil.
Provisional results released on Monday confirmed that Friedrich Merz, leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, was likely to be the next chancellor. They also showed that the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, had surged to become the nation’s second-largest party.
The election 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 Mr 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 US.
Tom Watling and Namita Singh report:
