The Long, Hard Road

Germany’s conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party won Sunday’s federal elections, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored large gains, a result that may make it more difficult for the country to create a coalition government, NBC News reported.

Monday’s results showed that the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), won more than 28 percent of the vote, trouncing the center-left Social Democratic Party of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz: It won around 16.4 percent of the vote – a major drop from the 25.7 percent share it won in the 2021 parliamentary elections.

The election also saw a historic surge for the AfD, which captured 20.8 percent, marking its best-ever results and solidifying its position as the country’s second-largest party.

The outcome in effect ends Scholz’s tenure and puts CDU leader Friedrich Merz in a position to form the next government.

Even so, Germany’s parliamentary system makes it nearly impossible for any party to govern alone.

Merz, who has never held a government post, now faces challenging coalition negotiations.

He has ruled out working with the AfD, citing the country’s long-standing policy of keeping far-right parties out of government. Analysts told CNBC that the most likely coalition partner is the SPD, though the Greens, who won 11.6 percent of the vote, remain an option.

The election outcome underscored deep voter dissatisfaction over economic stagnation, rising immigration, and Germany’s role in global geopolitics.

Observers noted that the AfD’s unprecedented gains have intensified debates over Germany’s political direction.

The party – which is under surveillance by German intelligence for suspected extremist ties – capitalized on voter frustration over immigration and security concerns following a string of high-profile attacks by migrants, wrote CNN.

Support for the AfD from tech billionaire Elon Musk and other members of the Trump administration has drawn anger from mainstream German politicians, all of whom have refused to cooperate with the far-right group.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel dismissed the political “firewall” against cooperation with her party as “undemocratic.”

Merz has also called for stronger European unity and for reducing Germany’s dependence on the United States. He criticized what he called Washington’s alleged “interventions” in the election campaign, drawing parallels between US influence and Russian interference.

His remarks reflected growing tensions between Germany and the Trump administration, which has demanded increased European defense spending while threatening tariffs on German exports.