On the local date, the preliminary results of the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament) election were announced. This election not only reshaped the political landscape of Germany but also brought new changes to European politics. So, why did the coalition party win? How did the leading party respond immediately? What were the reactions from various parties such as Europe and America? How will Germany proceed with forming a government?

Why the Union Party Won Preliminary results show that the Union Party, with Christian Democratic Union leader Friedrich Merz as its chancellor candidate, has won the federal parliamentary election with a vote share of .%. A commentary on the German public broadcaster ARD's website stated: "The election results clearly indicate that Germans desire political change. Given the disastrous public evaluation of the current federal government, this is hardly surprising. Only % of people are satisfied with the government's performance—a record-breaking negative assessment."

The German news TV channel website commented that in the federal parliamentary elections, a vote share of less than % is not an outstanding achievement, but merely the minimum target. Although this is better than the .% in the last election, it still represents the second-worst election result in the history of the coalition party. Previously, Merz and the party leadership team had hoped to secure % or even more than % of the votes.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) received .% of the votes, securing the second position. In the previous election, the AfD had garnered .% of the votes, and this time, their vote share has doubled, marking the highest record since the party's establishment in .

How the Leading Party Should Express Its Position Mertz stated that the most important thing at present is to "quickly establish a functional government again." He said, "The outside world will not wait for us, nor will it wait for prolonged coalition negotiations. We must act swiftly now so that we can do the right things domestically, become active again in the EU, and make the world feel that Germany will once again be governed reliably."

Merkz also stated that the goal of Germany's foreign policy is to reduce Europe's dependence on the United States. "For me, the absolute priority is to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can truly gradually achieve independence from the United States."

Alice Weidel, the AfD's candidate for Chancellor, has expressed willingness to join a future governing coalition. She stated, "Our hand is always extended to participate in governance... The voters' will has been clearly reflected—people want a 'black-blue' coalition (referring to the Union and the AfD)." However, as reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Friedrich Merz previously declared, "Under no circumstances will we engage in any dialogue with the AfD, let alone negotiations or forming a government with them."

The defeat of the ruling coalition has affected the individual parties that make up the current government, all of which performed poorly in this election. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), with incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz as its candidate, secured only % of the votes, placing third. The Greens, led by current Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, received % of the votes. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) came in last among mainstream parties with a vote share of %. In 2021, the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP collectively won about % of the votes, but now their combined total is less than %.

The Social Democratic Party, as the oldest existing political party in Germany, saw its vote share drop by more than 10 percentage points compared to the previous election's 20.8%. The Free Democratic Party failed to cross the 5% threshold in this election, losing its place in parliament. The Green Party's vote share also decreased by about 5 percentage points from the previous 14.8%.

Scholz stated that this is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and he takes responsibility for this defeat. The co-chair of the SPD, Klingbeil, mentioned that this election is a "watershed moment," and the SPD must initiate a generational change and reposition itself in terms of its platform.

The chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Finance Minister, Lindner, stated in an interview after the voting concluded that if the party's vote share fell below a certain percentage, he would retire from politics. As the vote count was revealed, he wrote on social media: "The federal election has brought defeat to the Liberal Democratic Party... Now, I will retire from politics."

How Various Parties Reacted U.S. President Donald Trump, European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were among the first to congratulate the Union Party on its election victory. Trump stated that the German people are "tired of agendas that lack common sense, especially on issues like energy and immigration."

Macron stated that he had just spoken with Merz and also communicated with Scholz. "In these times of uncertainty," France and Germany need to unite and work together towards "building a strong and sovereign Europe." Zelensky said, "Europe must be capable of defending itself," and he looks forward to continuing joint efforts with Germany "to bring true peace to Ukraine and strengthen Europe." Rutte emphasized that increasing defense spending in Europe is crucial, and German leadership will play a key role.

After the election results are announced, the German President typically nominates the leader of the party that has won the most seats as the candidate for Chancellor, based on the distribution of parliamentary seats among the parties. However, the party with the most seats does not automatically secure the Chancellorship; the candidate must instead secure the support of a majority of the parliament members. Consequently, the leading party needs to engage in coalition negotiations with other parties.

The coalition negotiations are the core phase of the entire process, where various political parties discuss policies, power distribution, and future governance directions. The negotiations aim to formulate a detailed coalition agreement, which serves as a programmatic document for the government's administration in the coming years; simultaneously, the parties will negotiate the allocation of cabinet ministerial positions. During this period, the incumbent Chancellor Scholz will continue to serve.

After the coalition agreement is reached, the Bundestag will hold an election for the Chancellor. Once the Chancellor is elected, they will nominate the ministers based on the coalition agreement, who will then be formally appointed by the President. The new government officially begins its duties after the members of the government are sworn in at the parliament.