Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s conservative party, has secured a victory in Sunday’s early elections, with his party projected to win a majority in the Bundestag. As a result, Merz is expected to succeed outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat.
Projections suggest that Merz’s conservative party will achieve a modest victory in the national elections, while the far-right Alternative for Germany party nearly doubled its support, securing its best results since World War II.
Jan van Aken, Chairman of the Left Party, commented, “Today, over four million people voted for the Left Party, signaling a desire for a different world. This represents four million individuals with whom we can collaborate in the coming years to create a better, more beautiful, and fairer society. We are prepared, and I look forward to working with you in the years ahead.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged defeat for his center-left Social Democrats, calling the outcome “a bitter election result.”
Projections from public television channels ARD and ZDF revealed that the Social Democrats would finish in third place, marking their worst performance in a national election since World War II.
The Left Party, which experienced a significant resurgence during the campaign, made notable gains among smaller parties, capturing up to 9% of the vote.
Following the initial results, Left Party leader Jan van Aken addressed Friedrich Merz, warning that his party would strongly oppose any future cuts to social services.
Meanwhile, the pro-business Free Democrats and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance were both nearing the 5% threshold needed to secure seats in parliament.
FDP leader Christian Lindner acknowledged the election results as a setback for the Free Democrats but emphasized that “political liberalism will be more important than ever in the coming years, which is why the Free Democratic flag will be raised again starting tomorrow.”
