Friedrich Merz Rises in Germany Amid Collapse of ‘Centre-Left’
Friedrich Merz (L), Alice Elisabeth Weidel (M), and Olaf Scholz (R) Image credit X.com
Germany’s Right Sinks Olaf Scholz to Power Conservatives
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, February 24: In a fractured verdict, Germany elected Conservative leader Friedrich Merz as the next Chancellor. Incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz led his outfit SPD to the worst-ever pol performance since 1890.
Hallmark of the German parliamentary elections was the emergence of anti-immigrants Alternative for Germany (AfD). Taking the second slot with 20.8 per cent vote share, political analysts credited AfD for the crushing defeat of Scholz-led ruling alliance in Germany.
Holger Zschaepitz, a market analyst, summed up the poll outcome, saying: “CDU leader Friedrich Merz has emerged as the winner of a turbulent federal election. The CDU/CSU secured just 28.6% of the vote — its second-worst result in history.”
The AfD led by Alice Elisabeth Weidel swept the eastern regions of Germany. Billionaire Elon Musk had been holding Space on X in support of AfD. US President Donald Trump hailed the US poll verdict.
“Looks like Germany is waking up to common sense, just like America did! The people are fed up with the failed policies on energy and immigration, and now they’ve chosen a path of strong leadership,” said Trump in a post on Truth Social, a social media platform.
Wave of sentiments against immigrants invited street protests from the Left outfits, as well as AfD. They held strong protests on the streets in the run up to the elections and also afterwards.
Keith Woods, a geopolitics analyst, contrasted German election results in 2021 vs. 2025, saying: “The most noticeable trend in Western politics right now is the collapse of the centre-left. To put this in context, the last time the SPD didn’t come out of an election as one of Germany’s two biggest parties was 1887.”
Scholz’s SPD bagged just 16.4 per cent votes, weakest performance since 1890. The SPD will be joining the Conservatives in the government formation, said German political analysts.
“With just 45% of the vote, a CDU/CSU-SPD coalition is possible, avoiding the need to include the Greens, who dropped to 11.6%,” said Zschaepitz in a post on X. He added that “fringe parties now hold a blocking minority”. He argued that the government will have to make concessions to fringe parties to gain support for passage of bills in parliament.
Hans Mahncke, a political observer, opined that Germany has thrown “too many parties, fractured results, a deadlocked government, and ceaseless compromise”. “It may have worked in the past, but not in times of crisis. For those who wanted change, it’s not coming — and never will,” he asserted in a post on X.
Swedish journalist Peter Sweden said that “the right-wing party in Germany celebrated as they bagged the status of the second largest party in the EU elections”.
Radio Geneoa summed up the mood in Europe, saying: “All over Europe the right has seen massive wins. In Austria, far right is in charge, in Greece and other countries conservatives are flying.”
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