Friedrich Merz, a candidate of the Christian Democratic Union, won 28.5% of the votes and won the legislature; AFD, from the far right, was in second place with 20.8%
German conservatives won the legislative elections last Sunday (23), marked by a record vote from the far right, a crucial claim for the which faces uncertainty in the face of fracture with the United States of . Conservative leader Friedrich Merz made a commitment to start on Monday (24) the difficult negotiations to form a government coalition, with the warning that “The World is not waiting for us.”
He made a warning about the risk of stoppage in Berlin, as Trump shakes international order, the German economy is in recession and society is divided after a campaign that polarized the country. After Sunday’s elections, Merz stated that a united Europe should strengthen his own defense and that he has no “illusions with what will come from the United States.”
CDU/CSU conservative parties surpassed the social democrats (SPD) of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the green, while the alternative to the (AFD), far right and with an anti-immigration platform, recorded a record vote of more than 20%. Despite the intense campaign, dominated by migratory themes, Merz will need to approach his rivals in the elections to form the government.
Check out the preliminary result:
- 1º-CDU-CSU: 28.6%
- 2º – AFD: 20.8%
- 3º – SPD: 16,4%
- 4th – Greens: 11.6%
- 5th – Left: 8.8%
- 6º – BSW: 4,97%
- 7º – FDP: 4.3%
- Other: 4.5%
The SPD will participate in negotiations without Scholz, which has taken responsibility for a “bitter defeat”. His popular Defense Minister Boris Pistorius should play a more active role. Merz, a 69 -year -old lawyer, defended the hard tone adopted in the campaign, but explained in a conciliatory tone that “now we should talk to us.”
“We should form a stable government as soon as possible, with a good and stable majority,” he said. He said he hopes to have the government formed until mid -April. Merz will also have to establish communication with Trump, which caused a restlessness in Ukraine and among Kiev’s European supporters with his approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump called the victory of conservatives “a great day for Germany and the United States.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte congratulated Merz for his victory and said he was eager to work with him “at this crucial moment for our shared security.” “It is vital that Europe takes a step further on defense spending and its leadership will be fundamental,” said Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, congratulated Merz and said he expects to work with him to “strengthen Europe” .
For Reinhardt Schumacher, who went to vote in Duisburg, in the West Industrial of Germany, the rise of AFD “is a warning sign. Something has to change. ” This 64 -year -old refuses to vote for this party, which he considers “too radical”, but stressed that one should not “ignore” the motivations of his voters. The anti-immigration and pro-Russian party has managed to impose its themes during the campaign, which took place in a tense climate, marked by several fatal attacks in recent weeks by foreigners in the country.
Merz and leaders from other major parties have promised to leave AFD from outside the government, behind a “protection wall, cooperation.” The German campaign was influenced by the executive orders and statements of the president of the United States, as well as by the interference of his surroundings in favor of the far right.
American Vice President Jd Vance and Trump’s billionaire Elon Musk supported AFD and increased the visibility of the far-right party. Sunday’s early elections took place on the eve of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which caused a shock in Germany. The conflict ended the supply of Russian gas and the country housed more than one million Ukrainians.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Victor Oliveira
