The polls closed at 6 p.m. in Germany’s snap parliamentary elections. The first exit polls, as expected, give the CDU/CSU coalition an advantage, with leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory.
“We have won these elections,” Merz said during a celebratory speech at the CDU headquarters, adding:
“The world is not waiting for us, nor is it waiting for long coalition negotiations. Now we must quickly regain our ability to act.”
Merz stressed that the rapid formation of a stable coalition government is crucial for resolving internal challenges, strengthening Germany’s presence in Europe and rebuilding international trust.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second place and achieved historic success, while the Social Democrats (SPD) of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz came in third.
According to the first exit polls, the CDU/CSU coalition won 211 of the 630 seats in the Bundestag, and the AfD 142 seats. The SPD follows with 116 seats, followed by the Greens with 98 seats and the Left with 62 seats.
German Chancellor Scholz admitted defeat in the election and said he was personally responsible for the result.
Voter turnout was a record 83 percent, public broadcaster ZDF reported. This was the highest turnout since German reunification in 1990. Voter turnout in the previous national election in 2021 was 76.4 percent
The snap elections were called after the coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.
Despite the AfD’s success, all major parties have pledged to stick to the principle of not forming coalitions with far-right parties.
59 million Germans are eligible to vote.
By law, the new Bundestag must meet no later than 30 days after the election.
