Merz’s conservatives won 208 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag, while the AfD won 152. The three parties in the former governing coalition lost seats, with the center-left Social Democrats falling to 120 seats and the Greens to 85.
The Left party got 64 seats, while the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance came in just under the 5% hurdle. The pro-business Free Democrats, which triggered early elections by pulling out of the coalition, also failed to reach the 5% of the vote required to win seats.
The election came as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.
Here’s the latest:
Merz wants to quickly tackle Germany’s struggling economy
Merz says Germany’s troubled economy is one of the most important issues that he wants to tackle as quickly as possible.
“We have to preserve jobs in industry in Germany,” he said, adding that he expects his prospective coalition partner, Scholz’s Social Democrats, to also “have a very strong interest in maintaining industrial jobs in Germany.”
Merz lists curbing migration as a top priority
Merz says curbing migration to Germany and all of Europe will be one of the top priorities if he becomes Germany’s next chancellor.
He says that “none of us wants to close the borders. But we need to protect our borders better. We must regain control over those who come into our country. ”
Merz's tough migration proposals during the election campaig n triggered massive protests in some parts of German society that criticized his anti-migration sentiment as inhumane.
Merz is ‘extremely worried’ by AfD’s gains
Merz says he is extremely worried about AfD’s second-place finish, especially after the party won so many votes in the former communist east of the country.
He told reporters that “we are extremely worried about what is happening in the east.”
He added: “We have to work together to solve the problems in Germany that are gradually removing the breeding ground for this party.”
Merz says Europe needs to show unity for the future of NATO
Merz tells reporters that Europe needs to demonstrate unity when it comes to NATO’s future role and also needs to clarify how much the continent is willing to spend on defense.
He says: “We will have a NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June. By then at the latest, it must be clear how the transatlantic relationship will develop. And by then at the latest, it must also be clear what contribution Europe is prepared to make to defense within NATO.”
He adds that he remains “hopeful that the Americans will see it as in their own interests to be involved in Europe as well,” though he warns that it is unacceptable “if the Americans strike a deal with Russia over the heads of the Europeans, over the heads of Ukraine.”
Merz says he will find a way for Netanyahu to visit Germany without arrest
Merz says he told Netanyahu that he would find “ways and means” for the Israeli prime minister to visit Germany without being arrested.
Merz was asked Monday about a statement from Netanyahu’s office that he will invite the Israeli leader to visit despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
Merz confirmed that Netanyahu called him and said that he told the Israeli leader they should meet soon after a new government is formed.
He added: “in case he plans a visit to Germany, I agreed that we will find ways and means for him to be able to visit Germany and leave again without being arrested in Germany.”
Merz said: “I think it’s a really absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister can’t visit the Federal Republic of Germany. He will be able to visit Germany.”
Germany has been both a staunch ally of Israel and a strong backer of the ICC.
Merz says he wants to continue strong relationship with US
Merz says he will do everything he can to continue a good transatlantic relationship with the United States — even if this may be more difficult with the new Trump administration.
He says that even though “all the signals we are getting from the USA indicate that interest in Europe is clearly waning ... I hope that we can convince the Americans that it is in our mutual interest that we continue to have good transatlantic relations.”
He told reporters that “if those who really do not just make America first, but almost America alone their motto, prevail, then it will be difficult. But I remain hopeful that we will succeed in maintaining the transatlantic relationship.”
He warned that if the good relationship “is destroyed, it will not only be to the detriment of Europe, it will also be to the detriment of America.”
Germany’s Olaf Scholz calls serving as chancellor ‘a great honor’
Chancellor Olaf Scholz says it has been “a great honor” to serve as Germany’s ninth postwar leader and that it’s important to him to bring his job to an orderly end.
Scholz said on Monday that the election result from the vote the day before was bitter for his party and “it hasn’t become better today.”
“I would like to stress that it is a great honor to be the ninth chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the fourth Social Democrat who can fill this job in the history of the federal republic,” he said, speaking at his party’s headquarters.
“It is very, very important to me to carry out this work in an orderly way until the last day,” he added.
It’s unclear when that will be. Scholz’s outgoing minority government will remain in office while Friedrich Merz, who until now was Germany’s opposition leader, tries to put together a coalition.
Analyst says Merz will face pressure to solve some of Europe’s biggest problems
Wolfgang Merkel, a political analyst from the WBZ Berlin Social Science Center, says there will high pressure on Friedrich Merz as Germany’s next chancellor to help solve some of Europe’s most urgent problems.
Merz will be expected to help find a united European response to issues such as security and defense, especially when it comes to Russia’s aggressive stance.
“Interests are so different within the European Union, including the political majorities, that we shouldn’t expect a resounding common EU policy,” he said, adding that it will likely be “the usual game of muddling through.”
"We shouldn’t expect to hear one voice out of Brussels,” the analyst said.
After election win, Merz’s offers support for Ukraine in his first comments on Monday
Friedrich Merz’s first comments on Monday after his party became the highest vote-getter in national elections in Germany were words of support for Ukraine, which is marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Europe stands unwaveringly by Ukraine’s side,” Merz posted on X. “Now more than ever, it holds true: We must put Ukraine in a position of strength.”
“For a just peace, the attacked country must be part of peace negotiations,” Merz added, in an apparent rebuke of the Trump administration, which has begun talks with Russia on ending the war that have so far cut out Ukraine and Europe.
Germany’s far-right leader says she missed Elon Musk’s congrats call
Alice Weidel says she missed a congratulatory call from tech billionaire Elon Musk after the German election late Sunday. Her far-right party, the Alternative for Germany, finished in second place.
Weidel told reporters in Berlin that “this morning, when I turned my phone on or looked at it, I had received missed calls in the night from the USA, including from Elon Musk, who congratulated me personally.”
Musk, an ally of President Donald Trump, has waded several times into German politics during the election campaign and openly supported Weidel's AfD.
Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz, who won the election, have sharply criticized Musk’s efforts to influence the election in Germany.
Stocks in major German companies rise after election
Stocks in major German companies rose on Monday on hopes for a stable coalition government that could end policy gridlock and tackle the country’s economic problems.
The DAX share index — which includes Mercedes-Benz Group, engineering firm Siemens AG and business software firm SAP — rose 0.74% to 22,452.04 in morning trading.
A two-party coalition between the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the center left Social Democrats “will likely be seen as positive by Germany’s corporate sector,” say analysts at Deutsche Bank.
The outgoing three-party coalition was at odds over how to fix the stagnating economy. Gains were tempered by the fact that parties of the far left and far right gained enough seats to block constitutional change. That could make it difficult to loosen restrictions on government borrowing that have hampered spending on pro-growth infrastructure and investment.
Despite finishing second, no place for far-right AfD in Germany’s next governing coalition
Alternative for Germany has achieved the strongest showing by a far-right party since World World II, becoming the second strongest force in the national parliament and the most popular party in eastern Germany.
Yet the country’s mainstream parties still refuse to work with it. The principle is known as a “firewall” against extreme right forces after the trauma of the Nazi era.
Merz has ruled out a coalition with the AfD and Olaf Scholz, whose Social Democrats party might be necessary as a junior party in the next government, said on Sunday that he hopes all political parties continue their traditional refusal to work with the far right.
“No cooperation with the extreme right,” Scholz said.
Still, a growing number of Germans feel the other parties have failed to manage the large-scale immigration to Germany of the past decade.
Merz will invite Israel’s prime minister to Germany despite an arrest warrant, Netanyahu’s office says
The office of Israel’s prime minister says Friedrich Merz will invite Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Germany despite an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader from the U.N.’s top war-crimes court.
The two spoke by phone on Sunday night as Netanyahu congratulated Merz on his victory, the prime minister’s office said.
Merz’s party confirmed the phone call with Netanyahu but said it doesn’t comment on the contents of such conversations.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas' military chief, who was later confirmed killed in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.
The warrant puts Netanyahu at risk of arrest whenever he travels to a country that is a member of the court. Neither Israel nor its top ally, the United States, are members of the court.
Merz promises to unify Europe despite challenges from the US and Russia
Merz says his top priority is to unify Europe in the face of challenges coming from the United States and Russia.
Both Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump's ally Elon Musk have openly supported the far-right AfD, which surged to second place in Sunday's election.
“I have no illusions at all about what is happening from America,” Merz told supporters.
“We are under such massive pressure,” he added. "My absolute priority now is really to create unity in Europe.”
Turkish immigrant group in Germany criticizes far-right AfD’s election gains
The leader of one of Germany’s biggest immigrant groups has criticized AfD’s second-place finish in Germany's election on Sunday.
Aslıhan Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay of the Turkish Community in Germany group says though the AfD won't be part of the next government, it will still have the power to "determine the discourse and drive this country against the wall.”
About 25% of Germans have immigrant roots and people of Turkish descent are the biggest group.
Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay adds that “many parties have followed the AfD’s narrative to varying degrees and have promised to solve the ‘migration problem’ — with the aim of pushing the AfD back. This has been a resounding failure.”
“People with a migrant roots are frightened and are thinking about leaving Germany," Yeşilkaya-Yurtbay said. "Without migration our country has no future.”
NATO, Western allies and Zelenskyy congratulate Merz
NATO and Western allies, as well as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy are congratulating Friedrich Merz on his election victory in Germany.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X that he was looking "forward to working with the new government to deepen our already strong relationship, enhance our joint security and deliver growth for both our countries.”
French leader Emmanuel Macron says he spoke to both Merz and Olaf Scholz following the election results — Merz to congratulate him, and Scholz to express his friendship to him.
“We are more determined than ever to achieve great things together for France and Germany and to work towards a strong and sovereign Europe,” Macron wrote on X. “In this time of uncertainty, we stand united to face the great challenges of the world and our continent.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the results “a clear voice from the voters” and stressed the importance of the election to Europe.
“Europe must be able to defend itself, develop its industries, and achieve the necessary results. Europe needs shared successes, and those success will bring even greater unity to Europe,” Zelenskyy wrote on X as Monday marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda wished Merz “success and prosperity” in leading Germany while Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal says Merz’s victory is key to a stronger and united Europe.
“It is crucial to strengthen our support for Ukraine,” Michal wrote on X.
European Council President Antonio Costa also congratulated Merz. "These might be challenging times. But I know that, just like in the past, the European Union will deliver and come out stronger,” Costa wrote on X.
A political career once sidelined by iconic Angela Merkel
The top job has been late in coming for Friedrich Merz, a lawyer by profession, who saw his ascent derailed by former Chancellor Angela Merkel in the early 2000s and even turned his back on active politics for several years.
Merkel has described Merz as a brilliant speaker and complimented his desire for leadership, though she acknowledged this was a problem in their relationship.
"We are almost the same age ... We grew up completely differently, which was more of an opportunity than an obstacle," she wrote in her memoir "Freedom."
“But there was one problem, right from the start: We both wanted to be the boss,” she said.
Merz aims to form new government by Easter
Friedrich Merz says he wants to form a new government by Easter, though it’s not yet clear how easy that will be.
Merz said in a televised appearance with other party leaders Sunday evening: “We have nearly eight weeks until Easter now, and I think that should be enough time — the maximum time — to form a government in Germany.”
Merz noted that, by then, Germany won’t have had a government with a parliamentary majority for nearly six months.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's outgoing government will remain in office on a caretaker basis until the Bundestag elects the new chancellor.
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