Germany's conservative CDU wins election, Merz set to become next chancellor

In Germany.

The center-right Christian Democratic Union Party won the highest proportion of the ballots cast in Sunday's election while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second place.

Lee Eun-hee has the latest.

Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union is expected to win the federal election, positioning its leader Friedrich Merz to become the next chancellor of Europe's largest economy.

"We must now quickly regain our ability to act so that we can do the right thing at home; so that we can be present in Europe again; so that the world realizes that Germany is being governed reliably again. That's what the conservatives stand for, that's what we stand for and that's what I personally stand for."

On Sunday, initial exit polls showed that Merz's CDU and the allied Christian Social Union secured just under 30-percent of the votes, leaving the center-left Social Democratic Party of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz far behind with approximately 16-percent.

In second place was the far-right Alternative for Germany, securing around 20-percent, roughly doubling its result from the 2021 election.

The AfD's surge, fueled by growing public concerns over immigration and security, was accompanied by a vow from the party leader to claim first place in future elections.

However, despite the party's strong showing, the AfD will not be part of the new government, as all other parties have committed to excluding them from power.

With Merz's victory nearly certain, he now faces the task of forming a coalition government which he has vowed to complete by Easter, April 20th.

To secure a majority in parliament, Merz will likely need to form alliances with one or more parties, potentially including the SPD, which experienced a dramatic drop from its 2021 result of over 25-percent, marking its worst performance.

Despite the open support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party from figures like Elon Musk and U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the election, President Donald Trump welcomed Merz's victory, calling it a "Great day for both Germany and the U.S."

Merz, who has never held a ministerial position, has promised to take a strong leadership role in Europe and increase support for Ukraine.

In a roundtable TV discussion on Sunday night, Merz remarked that it had become clear in recent days that the Trump administration was "largely indifferent to the fate of Europe."

He emphasized that his priority would be to "strengthen Europe as quickly as possible to achieve real independence from the U.S. step by step."

Lee Eun-hee, Arirang News.