The results, which was declared as Friedrich Merz, swings to Europe

Friedrich Merz, the alleged Federal Chancellor of Germany, has confirmed that he will be looking for a coalition with the Social Democratic SPD after the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won the election on February 23 and passed the survey with 28.5%. Although the SPD has gained a record result of 16.4% of the votes from winning the last elections, it is still the only credible coalition partner for alleged Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz.

One of the first files from Merz was a courageous statement that his first priority is to “strengthen Europe as soon as possible so that we can really achieve independence from the USA step by step”.

Things could have looked different for Merz. Had a small party (the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance or BSW) only won 0.03% less of the votes, Merz would have to find a third coalition partner. This would most likely have thought of working with the greens. This would have been a much more difficult circle for the center and an option, which would have risen with a much higher risk of an earlier body, if a deal could have been achieved.

The far right alternative for Germany (AfD) had a record result that became second with a vote of 20.8%. Mainstream parties, including the CDU/CSU, have excluded any kind of contract with the extreme right, which the AfD is now viewed as an opportunity. Another time of the CDU/CSU SPD government in a time economic challenges makes the party feel that it has a good opportunity to use dissatisfaction and continue to grow.

In the 2025 elections, a record proportion of the low -vote drive were initiated for the CDU/CSU and the SPD. It is noteworthy that none of the leaders of the unique people's party (“People's Parties”-with a cross-border, cross-seed attractiveness) were popular. Merz grabbed the best among them, but on a scale from -5 to +5 for popularity he reached an average of exactly 0.

The situation of the Mitte on the right was still worse, which had crashed on a large scale from parliament and only scored 4.3%and 7.1 points. His leader, Christian Lindner, who had brought about the fall of the former “traffic light” Saturday between his own party, the SPD and the Greens, announced his resignation from politics. The Greens with a respectable result (11.6%, 3.1 points) prepare for an objection.

The choice shows a disadvantage, far from feeling comfortable with yourself. Observers are immediately hit by the difference between East and West Germany. In the east, the far right alternative for Germany (AfD) came first in all five states (without Berlin, a mixture of east and west). In the west, the CDU/CSU was dominant with some exceptions.

Read more: These cards of support for the right -wing extremist AfD in Germany have exposed the depth of the urban rural gap

It has been clear for some time that concerns about migration and the feeling of being treated as a second class citizen increases support for the extreme right in the east. Now the opposition to military support for Ukraine and General Pessimism is also playing trendy.

Age turned out to be another very important gap. The left party received 25%(21%) in front of the AfD (21%). The CDU/CSU only took 13% and the SPD 12%. The picture is reversed among the over 60s. The CDU/CSU took 37% and the SPD 23%, while the AfD 15% and the left only took over 5%.

The success of the left was at least among the boys the only big surprise of the choice. After a delicate time in which the leading figure Sahra Wagenknecht and her followers were able to form a separate party, the left seemed to hit the 5% voice threshold value that is necessary to enter the parliament until recently. An internal separation via Israel and Gaza also caused difficulties.

However, the left benefited from the polarization caused by Friedrich Merz's decision to advance with a vote on the hardline guidelines against asylum seekers, including more border inspections and rejection of irregular migrants without processing an asylum application. An experienced social media campaign, which was led by the youthful parliamentary leader of the party, Heidi Reichinnek, also helped.

In the meantime, the BSW only took 4.97% of the national votes and will therefore have no seats in parliament. However, it is worth noting that the popularity of the BSW across the country was also extremely uneven and another example of the geographical division. While it was dancing at the national level, his anti-migration, “anti-wich” and pro-promotional policy, mixed with his criticism of the support for Ukraine, was a popular offer in the east with results around 10%, twice as high Like the national average.

What for Europe now?

The SPD claimed that it will not occur at all costs. It indicated that all coalition proposals among the party members are transferred to a vote to try to exercise levers over Merz. But in truth, the party doesn't have to go anywhere else. There is no alternative to a CDU/CSU S-SPD coalition, apart from early elections or a fundamental rethinking of the approach of the former to the AfD. Neither is an attractive view.

All parties are also very aware of the enormous pressure of other European countries for Germany, in the context of the assertiveness of US President Trump and the need to support Ukraine together. However, there are major challenges on the domestic front. Merz has promised tax cuts and higher defense spending, but there is no clarity at all how they are paid. The drastic reduction in welfare and other social expenditure would probably be a “No Go” area for the SPD. An option could be to solve the “debt brake” constitutional restrictions on the government's borrowing. This is something that Merz has reluctant to do, but he indicated that he could consider it after the vote. This fundamental reform would need a two -thirds majority in both parliamentary chambers, and if additional funds were only for defense, it is possible that the left and the AfD combine to defeat them.

The choice of Germany gives us a paradox: in a way, the result is quite well known, and a Christian democratic Christian Democratic Christian Democratic language leads with the SPD, another party with a long track record in the government and in fact with a certain view of German Guided tour in the German leadership in Europe. But it is also a deeply uncertain result. Germany is a country with great challenges: sluggish growth, war in Europe and a US president who questions important principles of the transatlantic relationship after the war. It is not clear how to put together a governing coalition that can agree on how to face these challenges and which can satisfy a strongly split electorate. Turbulent times in the country and on the entire continent can be ahead of us.