CDU Wins German Election, AfD Surges in East, SPD Suffers Historic Defeat
The Union secures the top spot in the Bundestag election, while the AfD becomes the second-largest party and the SPD and FDP face significant losses.
- The CDU/CSU, led by Friedrich Merz, won the 2025 Bundestag election with 28.6% of the vote, and Merz is expected to form a government soon.
- The far-right AfD emerged as the second-largest party with 20.8%, dominating in all five eastern German states and securing over 30% of votes in some regions.
- The SPD experienced its worst performance in history, dropping to 16.4%, prompting Olaf Scholz to announce he will not lead coalition talks or join a Merz government.
- The Linke made a surprising comeback with 8.8%, driven by strong youth support and focused campaigning on social issues like housing and wages.
- The FDP and the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) narrowly missed the 5% threshold for Bundestag representation, with Christian Lindner announcing his retirement from politics.
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