Germany headed to the polls today for early general elections to determine the composition of the 21st Federal Parliament (Bundestag). According to the exit polls, the Christian Democrats, the main opposition, emerged as the leading party. Friedrich Merz, the CDU party leader, declared victory after securing 29% of the votes. As expected, the far-right party, “Alternative for Germany” (AfD), came in second. The voter turnout reached a record-breaking 84%.

Approximately 59.2 million voters in Germany had the right to vote in the early general elections, which concluded at 6:00 local time today. According to the initial exit poll released by the German public broadcaster ARD, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), backed by the Christian Social Union (CSU), had a 29% share of the votes. The combined CDU/CSU vote share increased by 4.9 points compared to the 2021 elections. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, on the other hand, saw an increase of 9.1 points from the previous elections, with 19.5% of the votes, placing second. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), which ran with the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz as its candidate, experienced a decrease of 9.7 points from the previous election, holding the third place with a 16% vote share. The Green Party’s vote share decreased by 1.2 points compared to 2021, reaching 13.5%. The Left Party, running a successful campaign, increased its vote share by 4.7 points from the previous election, securing 8.5% of the votes in the exit poll. On the other hand, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which was part of the government leading to the early elections, suffered significant losses running alongside the SPD.

If the results solidify as indicated in the initial exit polls, the FDP, experiencing a 6.5-point decrease in vote share from 2021, is at 4.9% in the first exit poll, close to the 5% election threshold, which may result in the party being excluded from the parliament. The “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Vision and Justice” (BSW) Party, participating in general elections for the first time, received 4.7% of the votes. There is anticipation on whether both FDP and BSW can cross the 5% election threshold.

The distribution of seats in the German Federal Parliament according to the first exit poll: CDU/CSU 211, AfD 142, SPD 116, Greens 98, Left Party 62. Additionally, the South Schleswig Voters’ Association (SSW), representing the Danish minority and exempt from the election threshold by special arrangement, will be represented by one member in the parliament. It was reported that the voter turnout reached the highest level since 1990, with 84%.

Following the conclusion of the election, CDU made a statement thanking the voters and expressing their readiness to lead the next federal government with the clear mandate received. The AfD’s candidate, Alice Weidel, who nearly doubled the party’s vote share compared to the previous election, described the current election as a historic success for the party. Friedrich Merz from the CDU/CSU remains the anticipated candidate to become the new Chancellor of Germany, representing the Christian Democratic Union and its sister party.