MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Conservative coalition prevails over far-right AfD in German elections

“My absolute priority now is to achieve unity in Europe,” said Merz, who is in favor of sending military aid to Ukraine

Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the conservative coalition made up of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) prevailed with 28.5% of the vote in Sunday's elections in Germany, thus averting for now the access to power of the far-right AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), for whom US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Chief Elon Musk had strongly campaigned. The election saw an 83% voter turnout, the highest since German reunification in 1990.

 After securing his victory, the man likely to become the next Bundeskanzler (Prime Minister) was heavily critical of US President Donald Trump. The AfD finished second.

Celebrating Merz's win were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European Council President António Costa, among other world leaders. “We look forward to continuing our joint work with Germany to protect lives, bring Ukraine closer to real peace, and strengthen Europe,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Europe must be able to stand up for itself, develop its industries,” he added.

Merz also criticized outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his reluctance to send long-range weaponry to Ukraine and said he was open to sending Taurus missiles to help Kyiv fight Russia while underlining the need for European unity.

Meanwhile, Costa, a former Portuguese prime minister, said that “these may be difficult times,” but he said he was convinced that, “as in the past, the European Union will fulfill its promise and come out of it stronger.”

However, Merz now faces the challenge of forming a coalition from a fragmented parliament. He has blatantly ruled out any deed with AfD. With no previous experience in office, Merz, 69, faces an ailing economy and a society split over migration. In this scenario, forging a coalition could take months, it was reported.

“So we are under such massive pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now is to achieve unity in Europe. It is possible to create unity in Europe,” Merz said.