The results of the elections held on February 23 in Germany revealed many winners and losers. Most notably, the Christian Democrats emerged victorious and will form a coalition government with the Social Democrats and likely the Greens, leaving the extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) isolated.
According to the latest projections, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc won the elections with 28.6% of the vote. Friedrich Merz‘s party will not be able to govern independently; instead, they will lead a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD), who received 16.5% of the votes, and probably the Greens, with 12.1%.
Before the federal elections, the CDU/CSU made it clear that it had no intention of allying with the extremist AfD. This stance was echoed by all major German political parties, which ruled out any cooperation with the AfD—a party many depict as neo-Nazi. The AfD finished second in the election with 20.5% of the vote.
Analysts suggest that the most likely outcome of the election is a coalition between Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the SPD, who came in third in the polls. According to Reuters, negotiations for this coalition are expected to be challenging. They could leave the unpopular Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a caretaker role for several months, potentially delaying urgently needed reforms to revive Europe’s largest economy after two years of recession.
Ukraine war urges quick coalition talks
The worsening situation in Ukraine and the new US administration’s inclination towards Russia’s interests have made it urgent for potential coalition partners in Germany to expedite discussions and form a new government as quickly as possible.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU and the future Chancellor, stated that the new government could be established before the end of April.
“We need a swift and sensible formation of the government. We must become capable of acting internationally. I remain hopeful that we will have formed a government by Easter. Europe is waiting for Germany,” Merz posted on X.
“My impression of the last few days is that Russia and America are finding each other – over the heads of #Ukraine and thus also over the heads of Europe. That’s why everyone is now looking at Germany. How quickly can the Germans form a government after this complicated election result? That really has priority for me now,” highlighted CDU’s leader in another post on
“Unholy” support for AfD
These elections were the most critical in post-war Germany because an extremist, with several neo-Nazis among its leaders, was projected to receive a significant percentage of the vote. The situation was further complicated by the fact that the AfD acts as a representative of the Russian interests in Germany. Backed by Russian disinformation campaigns, the AfD seeks to destabilise German democracy. Remarkably, new allies promoting Russian interests, including US Vice President JD Vance and entrepreneur Elon Musk, openly supported the party’s electoral campaign. For the first time in German elections, both the US and Russia appear to have the same favourites.
However, creating the new coalition government will exclude the extremist AfD from power. But, this troubling alliance between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump continues to pose a threat to democracy in Europe by backing far-right politicians and parties that are closely aligned with the Kremlin. Their next target is the presidential elections in Romania.
Moreover, since the AfD represents not only a threat to German democracy but also a security risk for both Germany and the EU, the courts should thoroughly examine the party’s anti-constitutional role and take appropriate action. After all, since 1949, more than 20 political parties and unions have been declared unconstitutional and banned.
