The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) conservative bloc won the snap election to the Bundestag, the German legislative assembly, with 28.6% of votes, the federal election commission said on its website.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is second for the first time in its history with 20.8% of votes. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party of Germany ranks third with 16.4% of votes.
The Free Democratic Party and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance failed to overcome the 5% barrier and will not get into the parliament.
What did Scholz said?
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has admitted his Social Democratic Party (SPD) has suffered a "bitter election result". The result is a personal defeat for Scholz, who has led Germany since 2021.
"This is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party, and it is also an election defeat," Scholz said.
What did Merz said?
Friedrich Merz, set to become Germany's next chancellor after his opposition conservatives won the national election, vowed to help give Europe "real independence" from the U.S. as he prepared to cobble together a government.
The conservative leader said that “the most important thing is to reestablish a viable government in Germany as quickly as possible.”
“I am aware of the responsibility. I am also aware of the scale of the task that now lies ahead of us. I approach it with the utmost respect, and I know that it will not be easy," Merz said.
