Germany’s pair of conservative Christian Union parties won control of parliament yesterday, receiving 28% of the vote and ousting Olaf Scholz and his center-left Social Democrats after three years in power. The parties' leader, Friedrich Merz, will become chancellor and look to build a coalition government over the next few weeks. The contest garnered the highest turnout since unification in 1990 at 83.5%.
The election also saw nationalist party Alternative for Germany double its vote from 2021, earning the second-highest number at 20% to the Social Democrats’ 16% (see charts). The rise of the AfD complicates Merz’s coalition-building plans, as his and other mainstream parties have refused to align with the Euroskeptic, immigration-strict group. Analysts expect Merz to attempt an alliance with Scholz’s party and the fourth-place Greens (12%).
Scholz called for early elections after his coalition collapsed in November amid disagreement over how to boost the country’s economy, the EU’s largest. Learn what a Merz-led government means for Europe here.
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