The conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) won 28.5 percent of the vote, putting their leader, Friedrich Merz, on track to become the next chancellor, the Reuters news agency reported.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) took second place for the first time in a national election, with 20 percent, though it is unlikely to enter government as all mainstream parties have ruled out forming a coalition with it.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) suffered their worst result since World War II, winning 16.5 percent of the vote, according to an exit poll published by public broadcaster ZDF.
The Greens garnered 12 percent, while the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) hovered around the 5-percent threshold required to enter parliament, Reuters reported.
The far-left Die Linke party won 9 percent, while the leftist BSW party narrowly made it into parliament with 5 percent, the ZDF exit poll showed.
With no party securing an outright majority, coalition negotiations will be necessary, potentially leaving Scholz in a caretaker role for months, political analysts said.
Sunday’s election followed the collapse of Scholz’s coalition government in November after a dispute over budget spending between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP.
The campaign was marked by deep divisions over migration and was overshadowed by vocal support for the AfD from figures in US President Donald Trump’s administration, including Vice President JD Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk, news outlets reported.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP, TVP Info