German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lamented a ‘bitter’ defeat after his centre-left Social Democrats lost the Sunday’s national elections.
“The election result is poor and I bear responsibility,” Scholz told Social Democrats (SPD) party members, while congratulating conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose party came out on top.
The outgoing German chancellor’s SPD recorded their worst postwar result with just 16% of the vote. Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance secured victory with over 28%, making him to take over as the next chancellor. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to second place with more than 20%, marking its strongest performance in history.
Earlier, after the state broadcasters ARD and ZDF published exit polls, Merz said, “I know the scale of the challenge that lies ahead of us.” “I approach this with the greatest respect. And I know that it will not be easy.”
“We had a hard campaign but now we will talk to each other,” Merz said, adding that he wanted to form a government quickly.
However, it is unclear how Merz will form a government. He has the option to ally with the SPD without Scholz or work with the Greens, who got 12% of the vote. However, his Bavarian allies, the CSU, are hesitant about this. The pro business FDP, which helped bring down Scholz’s government last year, barely passed the 5% mark needed to stay in parliament. Meanwhile, the left-wing BSW was just below the threshold, making coalition talks even trickier.
‘Great Day For Germany’: Says Donald Trump
On the Germany election results, US President Trump posted on Truth Social, “Looks like the conservative party in Germany has won the very big and highly anticipated election. Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has prevailed for so many years. This is a great day for Germany, and for the United States of America under the leadership of a gentleman named Donald J Trump. Congratulations to all — Many More Victories To Follow”.
