German election results in graphics – DW – 24.02.2025 explained

With a record -breaking turnout of 83.5%, the highest since the association in 1990, the Germans filled their surveys on February 23 in an early federal election.

Who won the choice of Germany?

At the end of the vote, preliminary results show the conservative Christi -Democratic Union (CDU) under the direction of Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz and her sister Christian Social Union (CSU) have won the election.

The right -wing extremist alternative for Germany (AfD) is in second place.

Which parties had the greatest profits and losses?

The big winner of the election in relation to the voters was the right -wing populist AfD, which almost doubled his voices.

The social democrats (SPD) under the direction of the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz not only recorded the worst result of a federal election, but also the greatest loss of votes compared to previous elections.

The Neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose withdrawal from the coalition triggered the snapping elections, also suffered serious losses. The party does not enter the Bundestag after not reaching the 5% Threshhold.

How are seats in Germany's parliament distributed?

When Germans go to the surveys, they have two votes: one for a candidate who represents their constituency and the second for the state list of a party. The first vote applies to a direct candidate in the respective electoral district and determines half the total composition of the parliament to ensure that each district is represented. The second vote decides on the strength of the parties in the lower house of the parliament, the Bundestag, and thus determines how many candidates from this state list are preserved in the Bundestag.

There are 630 seats in the Bundestag. The number of seats that a party has is determined by their vote. One party must receive at least 5% of the votes to enter the parliament. However, parties are granted an exception that field candidates in at least three electoral districts: gaining three individual mandates increases the 5% threshold for the respective party.

What kind of coalition government would Germany have?

While the CDU/CSU won the largest proportion of voices, no absolute majority. The party will win 208 seats in the Bundestag. You have to enter a coalition with another party to secure 316 seats in the Bundestag, the minimum for a majority and the next government. The CDU has excluded a coalition with the AfD and insist that it is the “firewall” for the right -wing extremist. This remains a two-way grand coalition with the SPD or three-way coalition, including the Greens as the most likely options, depending on the final distribution of seats. The coalition calculator shows possible coalition results.

Voter migration: How did the voters move between the parties?

The election on Sunday prompted voters to change the affiliations and to switch via the party spectrum. One of the most important migrations was gone from the center-left SPD to the conservative CDU/CSU, which received about 2 million votes from the Social Democrats. The left -wing party benefited both from the SPD and the Greens from voter hike and added 560,000 or 700,000 votes.

How did the age of voters influence the German election results?

Young people between the ages of 18 and 24 leaned against the extremes and gave their ballot papers more often for the right -wing extremist AfD and the left party. The more traditional parties from the SPD and CDU received their lowest voters from younger voters. The Greens, a favorite for a long time in the youth vote, had one of their lowest percentage of votes in this age group. The voters over 60 were more likely to vote on the SPD and CDU.

How did men and women choose?

Men tilted more conservative than women and gave their ballot papers more often for the CDU and the AfD, while women tended to vote more for the SPD, the Greens and the left party.

The difference in the votes according to gender was only a few percentage points, except when it came to voting for the AfD.

The gender -specific gap between men and women voted for the AfD was 7%. The difference between the sexes for the other parties was only 2-3%.

How did the vote differ according to the level of education?

Voters without college training were more conservative, with the CDU and AfD being their preferred parties, followed by the SPD. People with primary school formation were twice as often AfD as those with university formation. German voters with a higher degree voted more than twice as likely for the Greens and the left party compared to those with primary school formation.

What are the regional differences in the coordination patterns?

Nationally, the AfD reached around 20% of the votes. However, the results differ significantly from region to region. The AfD, which is partly classified as a right -wing extremist, is today the strongest force in the east of East Germany. In the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the right-wing extremist party is clearly at the top, with many constituencies reporting over 30% of the second vote to the AfD, while the CDU and the CDU and the CDU and the CDU and The CDU went SPD far behind.

In the state of Thuringia, in which Björn Höcke, who was convicted of the use of prohibited Nazi slogans, received more than 38% of the votes and twice as many votes for the CDU. Berlin is the exception in the former east of Germany, where the left party won the most voices in the capital.

For the first time in one election, the AfD won most of the second votes in two constituencies in the western part of the country, Gelsenkirchen and Kaisersaunern. In both cities, however, the SPD candidates won most of the first votes.

The east-west gap is reflected in the distribution of votes for the CDU and SPD. Together with the CSU, the CDU received a higher percentage of votes in the south, west and north. In Bavaria, the CSU won all 47 constituencies.

The SPD achieved its strongest returns in the north and west, where the traditional Pro Labor guidelines of the party still enjoy support.

DW updates this article when the election results are received.

Published by: Michaela Cavanagh and Kate Hairsine