Germany's conservatives, led by Friedrich Merz, won the national election, positioning him to become the next chancellor. The far-right AfD secured its best-ever result, while coalition talks face challenges over migration and dealing with the AfD in the context of Germany's history.
Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result, exit polls showed.
Following a campaign roiled by a series of violent attacks, and interventions by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, the conservative CDU/CSU bloc won 28.5% of the vote, followed by the AfD with 20%, an exit poll published by ZDF public broadcaster showed.
Merz, 69, has no previous government experience but has promised to provide greater leadership than Chancellor Olaf Scholz and to liaise more with key allies, restoring Germany to the heart of Europe.
A brash economic liberal who has shifted the conservatives to the right, he is considered the antithesis of former conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years.
Short of a majority in an increasingly fragmented political landscape, however, his conservatives will have to sound out partners to form a coalition.
Those negotiations are certain to be tricky after a campaign which exposed sharp divisions over migration and how to deal with the AfD in a country where far-right politics carry a particularly strong stigma due to its Nazi past.
That could leave Scholz in a caretaker role for months, delaying urgently needed policies to revive Europe's largest economy after two consecutive years of contraction and as companies struggle against global rivals.
It would also create a leadership vacuum in the heart of Europe even as it deals with a host of challenges including U.S. President Donald Trump threatening a trade war and attempting to fast-track a ceasefire deal for Ukraine without European involvement.
Germany, which has an export-oriented economy and long relied on the United States for its security, is particularly vulnerable.
Germans are more pessimistic about their living standards now than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008.
Attitudes towards migration have also hardened, a profound shift in German public sentiment since its "Refugees Welcome" culture during Europe's migrant crisis in 2015, that the AfD has both driven and harnessed.
The European Commission has proposed cutting fertiliser import duties in an effort to secure support for a long-delayed free trade deal with the South...
President Donald Trump declared that the United States will "always be there" for NATO, emphasising the importance of the alliance in countering globa...
Azerbaijan is set to deliver a new consignment of oil products to Armenia on 8 January, with shipments departing from the Guzdak railway station and t...
Azerbaijan and Syria have reached an agreement to establish a joint business council aimed at enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the two...
Snow and ice caused travel chaos in northwest Europe on Wednesday, while others were delighted by the snow-covered streets of Paris, venturing out on ...
Berlin, February 21, 2025 – German citizens will head to the polls on Sunday, February 23, for a snap general election after the coalition government collapsed late last year.
Berlin, Germany, February 17, 2025 – X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is contesting a Berlin court order issued on February 7 that mandates immediate access to public platform data for two civil society organizations.
Berlin, February 17, 2025 - German voters head to the polls on February 23 to decide who will lead the country’s next government in a snap election triggered by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left coalition.
Germany will hold a snap national election on Feb. 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition. Here’s an overview of the main parties, their poll standings, and key policy issues.
Germany’s foreign intelligence service secretly monitored the telephone communications of former U.S. President Barack Obama for several years, including calls made aboard Air Force One, according to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated as Japan slams China's export ban on dual-use goods. Markets have wobbled as fears grow over a potential rare earth embargo affecting global supply chains.
Iran’s chief justice has warned protesters there will be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic”, as rights groups reported a rising death toll during what observers describe as the country’s biggest wave of unrest in three years.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources reported a significant movement of U.S. military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent hours. Dozens of U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers and heavy transport aircraft were observed heading eastwards, presumably to staging points in the region.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
The European Commission has proposed cutting fertiliser import duties in an effort to secure support for a long-delayed free trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur.
President Donald Trump declared that the United States will "always be there" for NATO, emphasising the importance of the alliance in countering global threats. In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated that Russia and China only feared NATO as long as the U.S. remained a member.
The U.S. has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that had been followed by a Russian submarine on Wednesday, following a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic as part of a U.S. "blockade" on Venezuelan oil exports, according to two U.S. officials speaking to Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to advance EU membership discussions and secure stricter sanctions on Russia during a meeting on Wednesday as Cyprus took over the European Union's rotating presidency.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment