Germany - February 2025
Christian Democratic Union party (CDU/CSU) wins early legislative election
On 23 February, Germany held an early federal legislative election after the coalition government collapsed in November 2024. The conservative Christian Democratic Union parties (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) won the elections with 28.6 per cent of votes, securing 164 of the 630 seats in the Bundestag (lower chamber). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came second with 20.8 per cent of the vote (152 seats), almost doubling its support from the last elections. The incumbent Social Democrats (SPD) garnered 16.4 per cent of the vote (120 seats), experiencing its largest loss in support compared to previous elections. The Greens received 11.6 per cent of the vote (85 seats), while the Left Party (Die Linke) garnered 8.8 per cent (64 seats). The proportion of women in Parliament will be 32.4 per cent, down from 34.8 per cent in 2021. This general election saw the highest voter turnout since 1987, reaching 82.5 per cent, up from 76.6 per cent in the 2021 general elections.
Sources: Die Bundeswahlleiterin, Deutsche Welle, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, German Bundestag, International IDEA
