The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) – known as the Union – have emerged as the single biggest party in Germany’s election, held on Sunday.
It won 29% of the vote, enough to give it 208 seats in 630-seat Bundestag.
The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) had its best-ever result, winning 21% of the vote, and 152 seats.
The party of the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), had its worst-ever result in over 130 years, winning only 16% of the vote, and 120 seats.
The Greens were fourth, with 85 seats and 12% of the vote and then the Left, with 8.8% and 64 seats.
The Free Democrats failed to clear the 5% threshold and won’t make it back to the Bundestag.
The CDU’s leader, Friedrich Merz, is now likely to become the next German chancellor, but he will have to form a stable coalition, which will be more difficult given that the AfD is likely to be excluded from any coalition talks.
The most likely coalition is a “grand coalition” between the Union and the SPD. Together the two parties have 328 seats in the Bundestag, enough for a majority.
[Photo: Screenshot/Sky News Australia]