GERMANY'S conservatives have won a historic election after beating out the far-right AfD party. Alternative for Germany (AfD) were heavily backed by international voices - including Elon Musk and US VP JD Vance - and managed to take second place after making their biggest gains since World War II.
![[Friedrich Merz, a candidate for the Christian Democratic Union party, speaking into a microphone.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/friedrich-merz-candidate-mainstream-conservative-974671879.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democratic Party (SPD) collapsed to a dismal third place with the outspoken leader set to be ousted from his role shortly. Preliminary results of the official election show Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union took 28.5 per cent of the vote in first place.
![[Friedrich Merz, CDU candidate, addressing supporters.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/friedrich-merz-candidate-mainstream-conservative-974671997.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The AfD won a record 20.8 per cent in second - securing its best result in a federal election since it formed in 2013. Scholz's SPD managed just 16.4 per cent of the vote in what turned out to be their worst result in the post-war era. The leader of the CDU/CSU bloc, Friedrich Merz, is now the man most likely become Germany's next chancellor.
![[Friedrich Merz, CDU party leader, speaking at a press conference.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/party-leader-friedrich-merz-speaks-974567608_52550f.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
He was unable to pull off a majority share of the votes which means a coalition within the German government will need to be formed. During his victory speech on Sunday night, Merz said: "We have nearly eight weeks until Easter now, and I think that should be enough time - the maximum time - to form a government in Germany.".
![[Olaf Scholz at an SPD campaign event.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-federal-election-according-preliminary-974596792.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
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