Change of power in Germany: Union wins, SPD suffers historic debacle!

Change of power in Germany: Union wins, SPD suffers historic debacle!

The 2025 federal election has heralded a clear change in German politics: the Union under Friedrich Merz is becoming the strongest force with 28.5 to 29 percent. Nevertheless, the result falls short of expectations and is the second worst in the Union in a federal election vol.at reported. The big surprise of the election evening was the AfD, which achieved a vote share of between 19.5 and 20.7 percent, almost doubling compared to the last election, thus pushing the SPD back to third place with 16 to 16.5 percent. SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch described the result as “very bitter” and confirmed that the traffic light coalition had been voted out.

Election results and political reactions

With a surprisingly strong performance by the AfD, which sent a candidate for chancellor in the form of Alice Weidel into the race, there are signs of a profound change in voter behavior. Weidel spoke of a “historic success” and called for a coalition with the Union, while Merz emphasized the policy change in Germany. However, the other parties have ruled out coalitions with the AfD, making forming a government complicated. The Greens, who also disappointed with 12 to 13.5 percent, emphasized their willingness to co-government, but would have to hope that the FDP and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) would make it into the Bundestag in order to enable a stable coalition tagesschau.de reported.

At an estimated 83.5 percent, voter turnout was the highest since German reunification. This shows the strong interest of citizens in political developments in Germany. For the FDP, however, things look bleak; It is likely to fail at the five percent hurdle, while the BSW still has to worry about getting into parliament with 4.9 to 5 percent. Both parties are confronted with great uncertainty: Christian Lindner from the FDP has already announced his withdrawal from politics. The political cards have been reshuffled and the coming weeks could be crucial for Germany's future direction.