On the local date, the preliminary results of the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament) election were announced. This election not only reshaped the political landscape of Germany but also brought new changes to European politics. So, why did the coalition party win? How did the leading party respond immediately? What were the reactions from various parties such as Europe and America? How will Germany proceed with forming a government?

Why did the coalition party win

Preliminary results indicate that the Union party, with Christian Democratic Union Chairman Merz as the candidate for Chancellor, has won the Bundestag election with a vote share of .%.

The website of Germany's first television channel commented: "The election results clearly indicate that Germans desire a change in politics. Given the catastrophic evaluation of the current federal government, this is not surprising. Only % of people are satisfied with the government's work—a record negative assessment."

The German news TV channel website commented that in the federal parliamentary elections, a vote share of less than % is not an outstanding achievement, but merely the minimum target. Although this is better than the .% in the last election, it still represents the second-worst election result in the history of the coalition party. Previously, Merz and the party leadership team had hoped to secure % or even more than % of the votes.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) received .% of the votes, securing the second position. In the previous election, the AfD had garnered .% of the votes, and this time, their vote share has doubled, marking the highest record since the party's establishment in .

How do dominant political parties express their position

Mertz stated that the most important thing at present is to "quickly establish a functional government again." He said, "The outside world will not wait for us, nor will it wait for prolonged coalition negotiations. We must act swiftly now so that we can do the right things domestically, be active again in the EU, and let the world feel that Germany will once again be reliably governed."

Merkz also stated that the goal of Germany's foreign policy is to reduce Europe's dependence on the United States. "For me, the absolute priority is to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can truly gradually achieve independence from the United States."

On [month and day], at the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin, Germany, the Union party's chancellor candidate Merz (center) accepts congratulations after exit polls showed him leading. Photo by Xinhua reporter Du Zheyu. (Note: Since the exact month and day were not provided in the original text, "[month and day]" is used as a placeholder. If the specific date is available, it should be inserted accordingly.)

Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has expressed her willingness to join a future governing coalition. She stated, "Our hand is always extended to participate in governance... The will of the voters has been fully reflected, and people want a black-blue (referring to the Union parties and the AfD) governing coalition."

However, as reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Merz previously stated: "Under no circumstances will we engage in any dialogue with the Alternative for Germany, let alone negotiations or forming a government with them."

Impact of the ruling coalition's defeat

The political parties that form the current ruling coalition have all performed poorly in this election. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), with incumbent Chancellor Scholz as its candidate for chancellor, received a vote share of .%, placing third. The Green Party, where current Vice Chancellor Habeck is a member, secured a vote share of .%. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) came in last among the mainstream parties with a vote share of .%.

In the past, the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the Free Democratic Party collectively secured about % of the votes, but now it is less than %. The Social Democratic Party, as the oldest existing political party in Germany, saw its vote share drop by more than percentage points compared to the previous %. The Free Democratic Party fell below % in this election, failing to enter parliament. The Green Party's vote share also decreased by about percentage points from the previous %.

Scholz stated that this is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and he takes responsibility for this defeat. The co-chair of the SPD, Klingbeil, mentioned that this election is a "watershed moment," and the SPD must initiate a generational change and reposition itself in terms of its platform.

The chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Finance Minister, Lindner, stated in an interview after the voting concluded that if the party's vote share fell below a certain percentage, he would retire from politics. As the vote count was revealed, he wrote on social media: "The federal election has brought defeat to the Liberal Democratic Party... Now, I will retire from politics."

How do all parties respond

U.S. President Trump, European leaders including French President Macron, Ukrainian President Zelensky, and NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg promptly issued statements congratulating the League Party on its election victory.

Trump stated that the German people are "tired of agendas that lack common sense, especially on issues of energy and immigration."

Macron stated that he had just spoken with Merz and also communicated with Scholz. "In this moment of uncertainty," France and Germany need to unite and work together towards "building a strong and sovereign Europe."

Zelensky stated, "Europe must be capable of defending itself," and expressed his anticipation to continue working together with Germany "to bring true peace to Ukraine and strengthen Europe."

Lü stated that increasing defense spending in Europe is crucial, and German leadership will play a key role.

How to form a cabinet next

After the election results are announced, the President of Germany typically nominates the leader of the party that has won the most seats as the candidate for Chancellor, based on the distribution of seats among the parties. However, the party with the most seats does not automatically secure the position of Chancellor; the candidate must also secure the support of a majority of the parliament members. Therefore, the leading party needs to engage in coalition negotiations with other parties.

The coalition negotiations are the core phase of the entire process, where various political parties discuss policies, power distribution, and future governance directions. The negotiations aim to formulate a detailed coalition agreement, which serves as a programmatic document for the government's administration in the coming years; simultaneously, the parties will negotiate the allocation of cabinet ministerial positions. During this period, the incumbent Chancellor Scholz will continue to serve.

After the coalition agreement is reached, the Bundestag will hold an election for the Chancellor. Once the Chancellor is elected, they will nominate the ministers based on the coalition agreement, who will then be formally appointed by the President. The new government officially begins its duties after the members of the government are sworn in at the parliament.