Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), gestures while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, after the German national election. (dpa via AP)Germany’s final election results have been declared and Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance-led conservatives have won the 2025 polls, though short of the 30% vote-share they had expected. The far right AfD secured its best result ever with 20.8% voter share and the incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD plunged 10 percentage points to third spot.The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, did a victory lap of her supporters even as her party had greater expectations, which were subdued as the results trickled in.In his first reaction after the victory, the soon to be new chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz said “Let’s celebrate tonight and in the morning we’ll get to work.” He added that he is aware of the responsibility that now lies ahead of him, BBC reported. Leader of far right AfD Alice Weidel waves a German flag at the AfD party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, after the German national election. (AP Photo)According to final vote share released by Germany’s Federal Returning Officer:CDU/CSU = 28.5%AfD = 20.8%SPD = 16.4%Greens = 11.6%Left = 8.8%BSW = 5%FDP = 4.3%Others = 4.6%The election results indicate that soon-to-be Chancellor Merz could form a “grand coalition” with incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic party (SPD) and form a stable and less fractious government than that of Scholz’s.Also Read | German Election Results 2025 Live Updates: Germany’s conservative Oppn wins with CDU’s Friedrich Merz on track to be next Chancellor; far-right AfD takes second placeThe Germany’s Bundestag or parliament has 630 seats with a majority mark at 316. According to German media reports, the CDU/CSU alliance’s 28.5% voter share would convert to 208 seats while Olaf Scholz’s SPD’s 16.4% vote share would garner 121 seats. An alliance between the two parties will have 329 seats, well above the majority mark.However, the far right AfD’s Alice Weidel said that Germans have voted for “change” and Friedrich Merz’s attempt to forge a coalition would eventually fail and his government would fall. “We’ll have fresh elections. I don’t think we’ll have to wait another four years,” Weidel said. Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party, addresses supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, after the German national election. (AP Photo)Realising the contemporary geo-political situation across the globe and how Europe is being targeted by the US, CDU/CSU’s Merz said: “After Donald Trump’s statements last week, it’s clear: this American government doesn’t care for Europe. We need to see whether we don’t need to become more quickly independent in Europe in terms of our defence capabilities.”Story continues below this adSince Olaf Scholz’s three party coalition government fell last year and a snap election was called, Merz had requested the Germans to vote for a strong mandate. The German voters did come out in large numbers as voter turnout reached 83%, highest since before reunification in 1990.But the result sprung surprises for the parties as AfD showcased its best ever performance while SPD suffered their worst ever result. The outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the election results were a bitter defeat for the party and took the responsibility for the defeat.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd