69-year-old Friedrich Merz declared himself the winner early on election night. From the stage at CDU's election party in Berlin, he emphasized the importance of swift government formation.
The world out there is not waiting for us. It's not waiting for lengthy coalition talks and negotiations. Now we must quickly get to work and do what is needed in our own country, be present in Europe, and take our place in the world.
When all 299 electoral districts had been counted, late on Sunday night, Friedrich Merz was proven right. With 28.6 percent of the votes, his Christian Democratic CDU, together with its sister party CSU, became the largest party.
The Liberal FDP and the left-conservative BSW both fell below the 5 percent threshold. For Merz, it's almost a dream scenario, which is expected to greatly simplify government formation, according to German media.
"Had wished for more"
Despite this, the result is a disappointment for many.
I had clearly wished for a few more percent, says CDU member Lena Behnke from Kürten near Cologne.
Like several others TT has spoken to, she sees the Social Democrats (SPD) as the most reasonable coalition partner in the next government – but first, she wants Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to leave politics altogether.
Maybe this is a good opportunity for him to focus on family life.
The greatest joy was perhaps at the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD), where the cheering at the election party was constant. The party received 20.8 percent of the votes, making it the second-largest party. This is a doubling compared to the 2021 election, and the party is thus expected to achieve its best result for a far-right party in Germany since World War II.
This is a historic success, said one of the party leaders, Alice Weidel, who demands more influence in politics.
Below the threshold
On the other hand, there were gloomy faces at the Social Democrats' election party in the Willy-Brandt-Haus in Berlin. The party achieved its worst election result since the 1880s, with 16.4 percent of the votes.
I congratulate Friedrich Merz and CDU on forming the next government. We live in a democracy, said outgoing Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Later on Sunday, Scholz said he personally does not intend to participate in government negotiations with CDU, nor will he be part of the next government. Both CDU and Social Democrats have consistently rejected cooperation with AFD.
The Green Party, which was also part of the outgoing government, received 11.6 percent of the votes, which means a significant decline from the previous election.
The election result, when all 299 electoral districts had been counted:
Christian Democratic CDU/CSU: 28.6 percent (+4.4 percentage points since the previous election)
Social Democratic SPD: 16.4 percent (–9.3)
The Greens: 11.6 percent (–3.1)
Liberal FDP: 4.3 percent (–7.1)
Left-wing party Die Linke: 8.8 percent (+3.9)
Far-right AFD: 20.8 percent (+10.4)
Left-conservative BSW: 4.9 percent (not included in the previous election)
Source: German Election Authority
Note: BSW is not separately reported by the election authority, the result above comes from public service broadcaster ARD's prognosis
