Germany’s mainstream conservatives won the country’s national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest party, according to provisional results following Sunday’s election.
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory and Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat. Alternative for Germany, or AfD, had the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.
Merz’s 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.
The Left party got 64 seats, while the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance came in just under the 5% hurdle. The pro-business Free Democrats, which triggered early elections by pulling out of the coalition, also failed to reach the 5% of the vote required to win seats.
The election came as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.
Here’s the latest:
Despite finishing second, no place for far-right AfD in Germany’s next governing coalition
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.
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,” 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.
Merz will invite Israel’s prime minister to Germany despite an arrest warrant, Netanyahu’s office says
The office of Israel’s prime minister says Friedrich Merz will invite Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Germany despite an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader from the U.N.’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 defense 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.
Merz promises to unify Europe despite challenges from the US and Russia
Merz says 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 criticizes far-right AfD’s election gains
The leader of one of Germany’s biggest immigrant groups has criticized AfD’s second-place finish in Germany’s election on Sunday.
Aslıhan Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay of the Turkish Community in Germany group says 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% of Germans have immigrant roots and people of Turkish descent are the biggest group.
Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay adds that “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.”
NATO, Western allies and Zelenskyy congratulate Merz
NATO and Western allies, as well as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy are congratulating Friedrich Merz on his election victory in Germany.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X that he was looking “forward to working with the new government to deepen our already strong relationship, enhance our joint security and deliver growth for both our countries.”
French leader Emmanuel Macron says he spoke to both Merz and Olaf Scholz following the election results — Merz to congratulate him, and Scholz to express his friendship to him.
“We are more determined than ever to achieve great things together for France and Germany and to work towards a strong and sovereign Europe,” Macron wrote on X. “In this time of uncertainty, we stand united to face the great challenges of the world and our continent.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the results “a clear voice from the voters” and stressed the importance of the election to 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,” Zelenskyy wrote on X as Monday marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda wished Merz “success and prosperity” in leading Germany while Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal says Merz’s victory is key to a stronger and united Europe.
“It is crucial to strengthen our support for Ukraine,” Michal wrote on X.
European Council President Antonio Costa also congratulated Merz. “These might be challenging times. But I know that, just like in the past, the European Union will deliver and come out stronger,” Costa wrote on X.
A political career once sidelined by iconic Angela Merkel
The top job has been late in coming for Friedrich Merz, a lawyer by profession, who saw his ascent derailed by former Chancellor Angela Merkel in the early 2000s and even turned his back on active politics for several years.
Merkel has described Merz as a brilliant speaker and complimented his desire for leadership, though she acknowledged this was a problem in their relationship.
“We are almost the same age … We grew up completely differently, which was more of an opportunity than an obstacle,” she wrote in her memoir “Freedom.”
“But there was one problem, right from the start: We both wanted to be the boss,” she said.
Merz aims to form new government by Easter
Friedrich Merz says he wants to form a new government by Easter, though it’s not yet clear how easy that will be.
Merz said in a televised appearance with other party leaders Sunday evening: “We have nearly eight weeks until Easter now, and I think that should be enough time — the maximum time — to form a government in Germany.”
Merz noted that, by then, Germany won’t have had a government with a parliamentary majority for nearly six months.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s outgoing government will remain in office on a caretaker basis until the Bundestag elects the new chancellor.
Trump calls election result ‘a great day for Germany’
President Donald Trump has called the election result “a great day for Germany” in a Truth Social post. He didn’t name a party in his post.
“Looks like the conservative party in Germany has won the very big and highly anticipated election,” he wrote.
The Union bloc is the conservative party, and won the election. However, Trump ally Elon Musk endorsed AfD before the election, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel on the sidelines of a recent conference in Germany.
“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,” Trump wrote in a post that was entirely in capital letters.
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