Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right. Merz, an old-school conservative who has never held a government role previously, is set to lead Europe’s biggest economy and most populous state, after his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party won 28.6% of the vote, according to preliminary official results.
“Let’s get the party started,” Merz, 69, told supporters as he declared victory at the CDU’s party headquarters in central Berlin, an apparent nod to wanting to get coalition negotiations underway quickly as the region grapples with US President Donald Trump’s upending of Europe and US relations. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the second-largest party, with an unprecedented 20.8%, preliminary official results showed, meaning the party – once on the fringes as officially suspected of extremism – is now a major political force. However, it faces exclusion from government by other parties, due to what is known as a “firewall” arrangement.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) took just 16.4% of the vote following the collapse of its “traffic light coalition” government – a dramatic turnaround in the party’s fortunes since the 2021 election, when it won 25.7%. Merz now faces an enormous task following Sunday’s snap election that was dominated by concerns over immigration, the economy and the return of Trump.
“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,” he said at a roundtable event later on Sunday. “I would never have believed that I would have to say something like that on television. But at the very least, after Donald Trump’s statements last week, it is clear that the Americans – at least this part of the Americans in this administration – are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe,” he added. Sunday’s preliminary results cap off an eventful election period that drew extraordinary involvement from White House officials and has once again seen debate rage around Germany’s immigration policies.
Trump sent shockwaves across Europe after he pushed ahead with peace talks on Ukraine with Russia, excluding both Kyiv and European leaders – prompting European leaders to hold emergency talks to discuss its unified response on the crisis. Merz also referenced Elon Musk’s “intervention in the German election campaign” in recent days. “The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow,” he said at the televised event.
“We are under such massive pressure from two sides that my top priority is to create unity in Europe.” Two recent deadly attacks, one in Magdeburg before Christmas and another in Munich last week – both carried out by migrants with differing motives – fanned the flames of division in the run up to Sunday’s vote. The AfD, which has been accused of using immigrants has a scapegoat, capitalized on these attacks for its own political gain, and has even called for “remigration” – the mass expulsion of immigrants, regardless of their citizenship status in Germany.
Both the CDU and the SPD also ramped up pledges around irregular migration and protecting internal security in the wake of recent attacks, meaning that even if the AfD do not take office they have already shaped the debate. With all votes counted, world leaders began congratulating Merz on his election win. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X that he looked 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 President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to work together for a “strong and sovereign Europe.” “In this period of uncertainty, we are united to face the great challenges of the world and of our continent,” he posted on X.
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