Germany's Conservatives and Social Democrats Begin Coalition Talks After Election Shakeup

Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU seeks to form a government with the SPD as far-right AfD surges to second place, reshaping Germany's political landscape.

The CDU/CSU bloc led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's federal election with 28.6% of the vote, while the far-right AfD surged to 20.8%, its highest-ever result.
Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD suffered a historic low, securing only 16.4% of the vote, but remains the only viable coalition partner for the CDU/CSU.
Merz has ruled out forming a coalition with the far-right AfD, maintaining the political consensus against working with the party despite its growing popularity.
Preliminary coalition talks between the CDU/CSU and SPD have begun, focusing on reconciling differences over economic revitalization, migration policy, and public spending.
Germany faces significant challenges, including economic stagnation, high energy costs, and deindustrialization, stemming from past policy decisions by the CDU/CSU and SPD.