Friedrich Merz, 69, is set to be Germany’s next chancellor after his centre-rght Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc won more than 28% of the votes after Sunday’s polls.
- •The win, which gives the bloc 208 legislators of the required 316 to form the government, means that it needs to form a coalition with at least one other party.
- •On Sunday evening, Merz set out to start building a coalition and said his “priority is to create unity” and “strengthen Europe as quickly as possible.”
- •The currently ruling party, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) won 16.4% of the vote, while the Greens and the Left Party won 11.6%, and 8.8% of the votes respectively.
The lack of a clear victory, which the CDU/CSU bloc hoped for, means that the main political issues of contention are likely to linger. Merz has said that the government will prioritise the economy, migration, and foreign and security policy.
According to Merz, the shift in administration in Washington in January has resulted in Americans who “are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.”
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party became the second-largest party after winning 20.8% of the vote and 152 seats. AfD, which received overt support from tech billionaire Elon Musk, is anti-immigrant party who’s strong finish means that its future cannot be discounted.
Germany’s Next Coalition
There are also new players, such as the Left Party which pulled a surprise win in the capital Berlin and enough votes to join the legislature. The shifts in the polls, which had the highest voter turnout since 1990, shows the German electorate’s evolving perspective on important issues.
Immigration will also play a central role in the eventual coalition, and the immediate future of Germany, especially if they force Merz to make significant shifts to his bloc’s campaign rhetoric.
Merz has ruled out working with the AfD, describing it as a party “that lives off problems.” This limits his options to the current ruling SPD as the winning bloc’s likely coalition partner but negotiations may take months.
The current chancellor Olaf Scholz will be in office as head of a caretaker government until Merz’s party cobbles together a working coalition.
