German Election Update

On Sunday, Germans voted in the biggest turnout for 40 years. A remarkable 83% of eligible voters participated in the election. The CDU/CSU claimed victory with 28.5% of the vote.  After the CDU/CSU, the AfD came in at 20.8%, the SPD at 16.4%, the Greens at 11.6%, and the Left Party at 8.8%. The BSW (4.9%) and the FDP (4.3%) did not pass the 5% threshold to enter parliament. The new Bundestag has 630 seats. This means: 208 for the CDU/CSU, 151 for AfD, 121 for SPD, 85 for the Greens, and 64 for the Left Party. 316 seats are needed for a majority. Following the election, Friedrich Merz, the CDU/CSU’s candidate for Chancellor, will enter into coalition negotiations with other parties to form a coalition government. The previous government will remain in power until the new parliament has elected a Chancellor.