CDU/CSU secured 28.5 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.6 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.5 percent, Xinhua reported, citing German public broadcaster ARD.
The Greens came in fourth with 11.8 percent, ahead of Die Linke with 8.7 percent. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) are projected to receive 4.4 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, according to the media report.
The election will determine the composition of the next Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. A party must receive at least 5 percent of the national vote to gain representation in the Bundestag, Xinhua said.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is poised to become the next chancellor, but he is likely to face difficult coalition talks, German media Deutsche Welle reported.
Merz faces complex and lengthy coalition negotiations after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to a historic second place in a fractured vote after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way alliance, Reuters said.
On transatlantic relations, Merz promised to "achieve independence" from the US, saying that Germany had to fundamentally remake its security arrangements and end a decades-long reliance on Washington, given that US President Donald Trump was "largely indifferent" to Europe's fate, the Financial Times reported.
Trump hailed Sunday as a "great day for Germany" after an election in which the center-right opposition won first place followed by the far-right AfD with its strongest result ever, Reuters reported.
On the Ukraine crisis, Merz urged earlier a close cooperation between Europe and the US in seeking a lasting peace in Ukraine, DPA reported in February.
Jiang Feng, a professor of European Studies at the Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Association of Regional and Country Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that as Merz advocates for Europe's participation in the Ukraine issue and emphasizes the need to protect Ukraine's interests, if he does not adjust this strategy, improving ties with the US could face obstacles.
Jiang noted that in the short term, improving relations with the US also seems unrealistic due to the foreseeable difficulties in forming a coalition government. Domestic political challenges may leave little room for breakthroughs in foreign policy, he emphasized.
Reuters said on Monday that Merz's victory opens a new era of German uncertainty, as long months lie ahead before he can build the coalition he needs with one or two other parties.
"The European Union's powerhouse will remain without a proper government in a heated geopolitical context, just as its economy is entering its third year of crisis," Reuters said.
Main photo: Friedrich Merz, chairman of Germany's Christian Democratic Union, takes a ballot at a polling station in Arnsberg, Germany, Feb. 23, 2025. German voters went to polls Sunday to decide the composition of the next Bundestag, the country's lower house of parliament © Xinhua/Zhang Fan.
Source: The Global Times.
