Friedrich Merz poised to be new German Chancellor

BERLIN: The Conservative coalition CDU/CSU won the German parliamentary elections. As per reports, CDU leader Friedrich Merz (69) could become the next German chancellor. The CDU/CSU won 208 seats (28.6% of the vote) in the 630-seat elections. The absolute majority required is 316 seats.

It is reported that Merz and his party have already begun talks with possible allies to form a government. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came second with 152 seats. Incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party slipped to third place with 120 seats. The Greens Party came fourth with 85 seats.

Merz stated he would not cooperate with the AfD and would rather negotiate with the Social Democrats. A new government will be formed by Easter.

Merz, a lawyer, has been part of the CDU since 1972 and is an active face in the German Parliament since 1994. However, in 2009, Merz left active politics after getting floundered in front of Angela Merkel. He returned in 2018 after Angela exited German politics. He is also a staunch advocate of Anti-immigrant policies.

Merz wants Europe to rely less on the US. He criticised the US for meddling in German elections. Elon Musk and US President Trump had tacitly announced their support for AfD in Germany earlier. Merz said he would continue to support Ukraine.