Challenges for conservatives to win election in Germany

Berlin [Germany], February 25: The Christian Democratic/Socialist Union led by Friedrich Merz is expected to win the German parliamentary election on February 23, but will have to form a coalition with another party to form a government.
The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) led by Friedrich Merz won early parliamentary elections in Germany on February 23, with 28.5% of the vote, according to Reuters yesterday (February 24) citing preliminary results. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 20.8% of the vote, marking the first time in history that the AfD has won this position in a general election in Germany.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in third, with 16.4% of the vote. This could be the SPD's worst result in the history of Germany's post-war democracy. Mr. Scholz has admitted defeat and also congratulated Mr. Merz, according to Reuters.
The Greens came fourth with 11.6%, followed by the Left Party with 8.7%. The far-left Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance and the Free Democrats (FDP) both hovered around the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament.
If the above results are confirmed, Mr. Merz (70 years old) will almost certainly become the next chancellor of Germany, Europe's leading economy. However, to build a majority in parliament and move towards forming a government, Mr. Merz's CDU/CSU will have to cooperate with one or several other parties, most likely the SPD, followed by the Green Party, according to Reuters.
The SPD and CDU/CSU have run Germany together four times since World War II. The CDU/CSU wants broad tax cuts, while the SPD wants to raise taxes on high earners and restore a wealth tax. That means the two may struggle to agree on more sweeping reforms, except perhaps easing the debt brake, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, despite coming in second place in the election, the AfD will not have a seat in Germany's next government, as mainstream parties have ruled out any cooperation with the AfD. However, the AfD and the Left Party together won a third of the seats in the new parliament, enough to block any changes to the constitution.
In the wake of the AfD's victory, Mr Merz said the new government must boldly address AfD concerns over migration and also fix the struggling economy, warning that otherwise the far-right could win next time.
Merz has said he will form a new government before Easter, which falls on April 20, but talks to form a government will not be easy, according to Reuters. Protracted coalition talks could keep Chancellor Scholz in power for months, delaying urgent policies to revive the German economy after two consecutive years of recession.
Impact on Europe
The delay in forming a new government in Germany will also create a leadership vacuum in central Europe as the continent faces numerous challenges such as US President Donald Trump threatening a trade war and trying to speed up a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict without European participation, according to Reuters.
After the election, Mr. Merz stressed that he "will prioritize strengthening Europe as quickly as possible so that step by step we can truly achieve independence from the United States" in defense. "After Donald Trump's statements last week, it is clear that Americans are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe," Mr. Merz commented, stressing that he "has no illusions about what will come from the United States."
Meanwhile, President Trump on February 23 called the victory of the conservative CDU/CSU coalition "a great day for Germany and the United States". "Like the United States, the German people are fed up with the ridiculous agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has existed for many years," Mr. Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper