The German election results have indeed sparked a wave of reactions, reflecting the seismic shift in the country's political landscape as of February 23, 2025.
The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, has clinched a victory, positioning Merz as the likely next chancellor. This outcome marks a significant turnaround after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “traffic light” coalition—comprising the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Greens, and Free Democratic Party (FDP)—late last year. Carsten Linnemann, CDU General Secretary, didn’t mince words, celebrating the end of the coalition’s tenure and confidently declaring Merz as the incoming chancellor. It’s a clear signal that the CDU sees this as a mandate to steer Germany in a new direction, likely with a sharper focus on economic recovery and tighter migration policies, which dominated the campaign.
Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has achieved a historic second-place finish, nearly doubling its 2021 performance. Alice Weidel, the AfD’s chancellor candidate, wasted no time extending an offer to collaborate with the CDU, saying, “Our hand remains outstretched.” This gesture, while bold, seems more symbolic than practical—Merz has consistently ruled out any coalition with the AfD, a stance rooted in Germany’s postwar political taboo against partnering with the far right. Still, the AfD’s surge sends shockwaves, underscoring a growing appetite among voters for its hardline anti-immigration stance, especially after recent high-profile attacks linked to migrants.
On the flip side, the SPD’s collapse is stark—its worst showing in over a century under its current name, landing at around 16% per exit polls. Matthias Miersch’s somber “very bitter evening” sums up the mood: the party that topped the 2021 vote has been relegated to third place, a humbling fall for Scholz’s leadership. The Greens and FDP didn’t fare much better, with the former at 13.3% and the latter struggling to clear the 5% threshold for parliamentary seats. This rout of the left-leaning coalition reflects widespread frustration with economic stagnation and immigration policies that many voters felt went too far under Scholz.
Reactions beyond the party lines are telling. Angela Merkel, Merz’s predecessor and longtime CDU leader, had criticized his pre-election flirtation with AfD-backed migration measures, hinting at lingering tensions within the conservative camp. Protests against any CDU-AfD alignment have already flared up, showing that Germany’s “firewall” against the far right remains a raw nerve. For Merz, the challenge now is coalition-building—most likely with the SPD or Greens, despite ideological gaps widened by his rightward shift. The AfD, though shut out of government, looms large as a potential opposition force, promising to “hound” the mainstream parties. Germany’s next chapter looks set to be anything but dull.
