02/23/2025
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican Governors Association meeting at the National Building Museum in Washington, on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
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23 February 2025, Saxony-Anhalt, Wernigerode: Eligible voters sit in the polling booths at a polling station at midday. The early election to the 21st German Bundestag takes place on Sunday. Photo by: Matthias Bein/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
German elections
German elections: CDU’s Merz looks set to be next chancellor as far-right AfD surges
By Ivana Kottasová and Sophie Tanno, CNN
Updated 4:06 PM EST, Sun February 23, 2025
From Ukraine to immigration, hear what German voters are saying concerns them most
00:51 - Source: CNN
What we covered here
• Friedrich Merz is likely to become the next German chancellor after his conservative CDU party topped the vote in elections, exit polls project. The stuttering economy and immigration were major voter concerns.
• The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) almost doubled its vote share and surged into second place. But it is likely to be frozen out of power as other parties are refusing to work with it.
• SPD, the party of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, slumped to third place, with just 16% of the vote – its worst showing in decades.
• The election came against a backdrop of the Trump administration transforming historic security ties with Europe and moving ahead with peace talks on Ukraine.
• Whoever wins, coalition talks are a near-certainty. Single parties rarely win majorities in German elections so Merz will have to open talks with other parties on forming a government.
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14 min ago
Our live coverage has ended. See more on German election results here or read through the posts below.
14 min ago
Merz claims win for German conservatives as far right surges to second place
Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power with the far-right Alternative for Germany as second-largest party, exit polls show, after snap elections dominated by concerns over immigration, the economy and the return of Donald Trump.
The CDU’s party headquarters were filled with cheers and applause on Sunday evening as the exit polls were revealed and it became clear that the opposition party was set to become the largest group after Sunday’s election. Outside the building, a small group of protesters had gathered to demonstrate against what they perceive as party leader Friedrich Merz’s hard line on immigration.
Merz declared victory at the event in central Berlin, as he told supporters “Let’s get the party started,” an apparent nod to wanting to get coalition negotiations underway quickly.
Read the full story here.
37 min ago
AfD’s leader in Thuringia says German people “want change”
From CNN’s Matthies Otto
Björn Höcke, the AfD’s leader in Thuringia, told CNN that his party is now “clearly” in a stronger position and that CDU’s refusal to form a coalition government with his party will eventually backfire.
“If the CDU does indeed (keeps) rejecting a coalition with the AfD, the CDU will have maneuvered itself into a strategic dead end. The CDU has employed conservative right wing slogans in their election campaign, and is now taking a left turn,” he said, adding that the patience of German voters will snap.
Höcke led the AfD to victory in the Thuringia election in September, the first time a far-right party won a German state election since 1945. He has been convicted in the past for using N**i slogans that have been declared unconstitutional in Germany.
He told CNN that the German people “don’t want to continue as is, they want change, and the AfD stands for change.”
Speaking about the support the AfD got from some members of US President Donald Trump’s administration, he said: “Trump and Vance and Musk and others in the Trump team stand for a fight against woke-ism and for a fight for the freedom of speech and these are things we can also (agree on).”
“Freedom of speech is currently lacking in Germany. As the opposition, we feel that this democracy no longer remains a real democracy, for where there is no freedom of speech there can be no democracy,” he said.
53 min ago
Here are the latest German election projections
53 min ago
FDP leader vows to leave politics if his party fails to make parliament
From CNN's Sophie Tanno
The leader of the business-focused Free Democratic Party (FDP) has vowed to leave politics if he fails to make parliament.
“If the FDP leaves the Bundestag, it is quite clear that I will also leave politics,” Christian Lindner said, according to Reuters.
The FDP is currently expected to receive 4.7% of the vote - below the 5% threshold needed to enter.
52 min ago
Could Germany's populist fringe parties secure a key blocking minority?
One question that remains unanswered for now is whether Germany’s fringe parties could secure a blocking minority in the German parliament, the Bundestag.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Left and the The Sahra Wageknecht Alliance (BSW) are all considered protest parties and while they presented vastly different election programs, they could potentially unite to block key legislation going through the parliament.
“The risk that the parties from the political fringes get more than one third of seats and could thus jointly block any changes to the German constitution is serious,” said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank and the man who first called Germany the “sick man of Europe” in 1998.
The three relevant fringe parties, the AfD, the Left and the BSW differ on many counts – but they all oppose aid to Ukraine.
Writing in a note after the exit polls were published, Schmieding said: “They could veto any loosening of the debt brake enshrined in the constitution. At a time when it is crucial to raise spending for the military and Ukraine and ease the tax burden for workers and firms, Germany may struggle to find the fiscal space to do so. A failure to ramp up military spending could get Germany into deep trouble with its NATO partners. By infuriating US president Donald Trump, it would also add to the risk of a US-EU trade war.”
1 hr 41 min ago
"If they won't leave, we will help them out," says AfD's deputy parliamentary leader about Syrian migrants
From CNN's Sophie Tanno
The Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) deputy parliamentary leader, Beatrix von Storch, made her hardline stance on immigration clear as she spoke to CNN on air on Sunday evening.
“We have to get rid of all those people who are illegally in Germany firsthand, and then we have to get everyone out who came in from Syria fleeing Assad and then celebrating the fall of Assad in the streets of Germany,” von Storch said at the AfD’s election party in Berlin.
She continued, “They have to go voluntarily. If they won’t leave, we will help them out. And same with those from Afghanistan.”
Von Storch added that she was “grateful” to US Vice President JD Vance for “addressing that democracy is at stake and free speech in Germany is really under pressure.” It comes after Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, telling Europe’s leaders that so-called “firewalls” “have no place” in a democracy.
1 hr 47 min ago
CDU/CSU wins election, but can't match Merkel era results
German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz celebrates with Bavarian state premier and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Markus Soeder after the exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
German State of Bavaria Prime Minister Markus Soeder and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader and chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz during the German federal election evening at CDU headquarters in Berlin, Germany on Sunday. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister Bavarian party the Christian Social Union (CSU) secured a clear victory on Sunday. With exit polls predicting the CDU/CSU will secure 28.8% of the vote, the party came well ahead of the second-placed AfD, which is expected to secure 20.2%, and the SPD which came third with 16.2%.
But there might be some who will be disappointed with the result, which is well below the party’s performance under the leadership of its former long-time leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The party never dipped below 30% of the vote during the Merkel years, securing as much as 41.5% of the vote in the 2013 election.
1 hr 58 min ago
Updated exit polls put far-right AfD at over 20%
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is now expected to get 20.2% of the vote in the German parliamentary election, updated exit polls show. Initial exit polls had put the AfD just below the symbolic 20% mark.
Meanwhile, the updated exit polls showed a slightly lower expected result for the leading party, the CDU/CSU, which is now projected to win with 28.8%.
The SPD, which came top in the last election in 2021, has sunk to the third place with just 16.2% of the vote.
1 hr 7 min ago
AfD youth wing leader "certain" that "firewall" against far right will end
From CNN's Nadine Schmidt
The leader of the Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) youth wing, known as the Young Alternative (JA), has said he is “certain” that the mainstream parties’ so-called “firewall” against the AfD will end after this election.
Speaking to CNN at the AfD’s election party in Berlin ahead of the announcement of the exit polls Sunday evening, Hannes Gnauck said “I am certain that this so-called ‘firewall’ will stop after this election,” referring to the stance long taken by Germany’s mainstream parties to work together to freeze out the far right.
He added. “The CDU (Christian Democratic Union) with Friedrich Merz won’t work together with the AfD,” but “there will be a CDU after Friedrich Merz, and this CDU will have to work together with the AfD.”
Gnauck pointed to the rising support for the AfD among Germany’s youngest voters. “We see that the upcoming generation in Germany is voting often for the AfD, because this generation is directly confronted with the big problems of our society — migration problems, migration dynamics. They are also confronted with the economy.”
“Therefore so many young people are choosing the AfD.”
2 hr 25 min ago
French far-right politician joins AfD celebrations with bottle of champagne
From CNN's Melissa Bell and Nadine Schmidt
AfD’s election viewing party has apparently attracted international attention, with the French far-right politician and former TV pundit Éric Zemmour spotted at the event.
Zemmour, who has been convicted several times in France for hate speech, racial or religious hatred, came up to AfD’s leader Alice Weidel to congratulate her. He was seen handing her a bottle of Laurent Perrier champagne.
Zemmour unsuccessfully ran for the French president in 2022, promising to “save France” from Islam.
2 hr 37 min ago
Merz promises quick coalition negotiations, saying: "Let's get the party started"
Friedrich Merz has led his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to a clear election victory, polls suggest, and is now set to become Germany’s next chancellor.
Flanked on stage by other top candidates from the CDU and its sister Bavarian party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), Merz hailed Sunday as a “historic election evening.”
Speaking shortly after exit polls showed the party came top with an estimated 29% of the vote, Merz promised he will begin coalition building talks as soon as possible.
“We fought a tough election campaign about important topics … now we will talk to each other. We must be able to act quickly,” he said.
3 hr 4 min ago
German Chancellor Scholz admits "a bitter defeat" for his SPD
By CNN's Ivana Kottasová
The current German Chancellor and the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Olaf Scholz took responsibility for his party’s poor election showing, admitting the result was “a defeat.”
“This is a bitter election result for the SPD, this is a defeat. It’s a result that we will have to put behind us,” he told the gathering at the party’s headquarters, saying that he is taking responsibility for the result, just as he did four years ago when his party came top.
Thanking party members and volunteers for campaigning until the very end of the campaign, Scholz also took time to defend his government’s track record over the past four years.
He reminded the audience that it has been a difficult period as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine soon after his government came to power.
The outgoing chancellor congratulated his rival, CDU’s Friedrich Merz, and said he believed it was unacceptable for a far-right party to get the kind of result AfD saw on Sunday. “I’ll never come to terms with this,” Scholz said.
3 hr 16 min ago
Near silence as exit polls revealed at SPD election party
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla
Attendees react to exit poll results during a Social Democrats (SPD) election night event in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. Germany's conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz is projected to win Sunday's federal election, comfortably finishing ahead of the far-right AfD party and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Attendees react to exit poll results during a Social Democrats (SPD) election night event in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. Alex Kraus/Bloomberg/Getty Images
There was despondency at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) as the exit polls appeared on the screens, showing a disappointing result for the center-left party.
It had been the expectation for weeks that SPD leader and Chancellor Olaf Scholz was facing an uphill – perhaps near impossible – battle to keep his job.
It seems the fight has been well and truly lost. In fact, the biggest gasps came when other party’s results were read out for the Left and BSW.
The near silence when the SPD learnt their numbers at the party’s W***y Brandt Haus in central Berlin was only followed by the blue bar of the AfD appearing, confirming its nationwide success.
The SPD’s predicted result of 16% marks an almost 9% drop from 2021 when it rode to power on a wave of post-Merkel optimism – in fact these results are likely to be the worst showing at an election since 1887.
Voters that CNN spoke to just before the polls came out also sounded a pessimistic tone. Many felt that the AfD had twisted the narrative around the election to be migration. When asked what they thought would happen next, the hope was that the party would go into coalition with CDU and Friedrich Merz, but without giving up the political center. Asked about Olaf Scholz and his position, people didn’t want to be drawn in words, but one woman simply shook her head.
3 hr 28 min ago
Cheers erupt at CDU headquarters as exit polls show it on track to win election
From CNN's Fred Pleitgen
The headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) filled with cheers and applause as the exit polls were revealed and it became clear that the opposition party was set to become the largest group after Sunday’s election.
Younger party members were clapping and chanting at the CDU’s election party in Berlin as the party appeared to have emerged as the strongest force in the next German parliament.
The CDU’s headquarters, the Konrad Adenauer Haus, is packed with party top brass and journalists from around the world. The party had long been the favorites to take the largest share of the vote.
Outside the building, a small group of protesters demonstrated against what they perceive as party leader Friedrich Merz’s hard line on immigration.
Protesters held signs with flames drawn on them, accusing the CDU of possible cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Merz has denied wanting to cooperate with the AfD.
3 hr 36 min ago
SPD sinks to third place with its worst result in decades
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is expected to have secured 16% of the vote on Sunday, according to exit polls, a huge 9% fall compared to the last election in 2021, and its worst result in modern history.
Still, the SPD would have breathed a sigh of relief as it avoided a complete wipe-out and managed to hang on to third place in the election – some opinion polls ahead of the vote had suggested the party, which came top in 2021, could be competing for the third spot with the Greens.
That did not happen as the Greens ended up fourth with 13.5% of the vote.
Still, Scholz’s future as the party leader remains uncertain – there were rumors even before the election that some in his party wanted Boris Pistorius, the current defense minister, to replace him as the party’s top candidate.
3 hr 33 min ago
AfD leader Alice Weidel says party "has never been stronger"
From CNN's Nadine Schmidt
Co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and her party's top candidate for Chancellor Alice Weidel and co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Tino Chrupalla cheer with party members during the electoral evening in Berlin on February 23, 2025, after the first exit polls in the German general elections. (Photo by Soeren Stache / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SOEREN STACHE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and her party's top candidate for Chancellor Alice Weidel and co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Tino Chrupalla cheer with party members during the electoral evening in Berlin on Sunday, after the first exit polls in the German general elections. Soeren Stache/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), said the party has “never been stronger” as she took to the stage at an election party after exit polls were announced.
“We have never been stronger - we are the second biggest force,” Weidel said, in words that were met by wild cheers from the crowds in attendance at the event in Berlin.
“We are the only party with a double-digit score compared to the past elections,” she continued, adding, “in the next elections we will take over from the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and be in the first place.” Her words indicate how the party already has its eyes firmly on the next election in 2029.
The mood at the AfD election party was ecstatic as it emerged that the party had almost doubled its support, with people cheering and waving Germany flags.
3 hr 51 min ago
CDU/CSU wins German election, far-right AfD comes second: See full exit polls
3 hr 37 min ago
CDU looks set to return to power as far right almost doubles its votes
From CNN's Sophie Tanno and Fred Pleitgen
Supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) react after the first exit polls in the German general elections were announced on TV during the electoral evening in Berlin on February 23, 2025. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) react after the first exit polls in the German general elections were announced on TV during the electoral evening in Berlin on Sunday. Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images
The first numbers in Germany’s snap election are coming in, and it looks like the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power. A huge cheer ran through the conservative party’s headquarters as the first exit polls were announced.
This means Friedrich Merz, an old-school conservative who has never held a government role previously, will likely become the new chancellor of Germany, Europe’s biggest economy and most populous state.
If the exit polls stand, it looks like the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has achieved its highest result yet - almost doubling its support from the last election in 2021. This is a predicted significant boost in support for the party, which likely now stands as Germany’s largest opposition force.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) looks set to come in third – a major turnaround since the 2021 election, when it took 25.7% of the vote.
The Sahra Wageknecht Alliance (BSW) narrowly missed out on the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, while The Left party comfortably made it over that line, taking a significant 8.5%.
4 hr 5 min ago
Exit polls show far-right AfD at just under 20%
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to get 19.5% of the vote in the German parliamentary election, exit polls show.
This is the best showing for a far-right political party in Germany since the end of the Second World War.
The AfD has almost doubled its share of the vote compared to the last election in 2021.
