The Christian Democratic Union of Friedrich Merz obtained 196 seats, followed by the AfD with 141. The Social Democrats reached 113, the Greens 84, and the Left 61 deputies. The far-left party, BSW, achieved 34 seats, while the liberals obtained only one.
Alice Weidel, the AfD candidate, expressed her willingness to form a government with Merz's Christian Democrats. Merz, for his part, acknowledged the magnitude of the task ahead, stating that it would not be easy. He showed a willingness to dialogue with his political competitors to create a functional government in Germany as quickly as possible.
Merz made it clear that there would be no talks with the AfD nor negotiations for their participation in the government. The AfD's vote concentrated in East Germany, while the Christian Democrats maintained support from their Bavarian stronghold.
The rise of the AfD as the second political force in Germany has been unprecedented since the end of World War II. The impact of Alice Weidel, backed by the Trump administration and with sympathies for Putin, is significant in a country accustomed to relying on the United States and Russia for both military and energy needs.
The Social Democratic Party suffered a historic defeat by obtaining an unusually low percentage of votes. To form a government in Germany, an absolute majority in the parliament, composed of 630 deputies, is required.
Regarding the election results, the Christian Democratic Union obtained around 28-29% of the votes, which represented a pale victory. Friedrich Merz is the virtual candidate for chancellor, although he will need to form alliances to achieve this. On the other hand, the ultra-nationalist party Alternative for Germany experienced a considerable increase in its votes, reaching its best result since the fall of Adolf Hitler.
