Daijiworld Media Network - Berlin

Berlin, Feb 24: In a dramatic political shift, Germany’s conservative alliance has secured victory in the national elections, paving the way for Friedrich Merz to become the next chancellor, exit polls revealed on Sunday. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made historic gains, finishing in second place, marking a major transformation in the country’s political landscape.

The results dealt a severe blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left government, with his Social Democrats (SPD) recording their worst post-war performance at just 16.5% of the vote. The ruling coalition’s collapse mirrored growing discontent over policies on energy and immigration.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome, declaring that Germans had rejected the "no common-sense agenda" of the Scholz-led government. "This is a great day for Germany," he posted on Truth Social.

Despite Trump's endorsement, Merz struck a strong European stance, vowing to make the continent less reliant on the US "My absolute priority now is to achieve unity in Europe. It is possible to create unity in Europe," he stated, while also criticizing Washington’s “outrageous” remarks during the campaign.

With no prior government experience, Merz now faces complex coalition talks. While his CDU/CSU bloc emerged as the largest, it secured just 28.5% of the vote—its second-worst result in post-war history. The AfD surged to 20.5%, doubling its previous tally, but remains shunned by mainstream parties due to its far-right stance.

AfD leader Alice Weidel, emboldened by the result, declared, "Our hand remains outstretched to form a government. Next time, we’ll come first."

Meanwhile, the Greens registered 11.8%, the far-left Die Linke surged to 8.7% with strong youth backing, and smaller parties like the Free Democrats (FDP) and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) hovered near the 5% parliamentary threshold.

With voter turnout hitting 83%, the highest since reunification, Germany’s divided political scene now braces for lengthy coalition negotiations that could shape its future leadership and direction.