Germany’s opposition conservatives, led by Friedrich Merz, have won the country’s election with around 28.5% of the vote, while the far-right Alternative for Germany party doubled its support to 20.5%. Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat for his center-left Social Democrats, which finished in third place with its worst post-war result.
The conservatives’ victory is seen as a lackluster win, with Merz facing a challenging task to form a coalition government. The far-right party’s strong showing has sparked concerns, with Scholz decrying its success and Merz ruling out cooperation with the party due to their fundamentally different views on foreign policy, security, and Europe.