Germans Vote for New Government
Political change is in the offing in Germany as the conservatives emerged as the strongest party in national elections.
Feb 24, 2025
According to initial official figures, the conservative CDU-CSU garnered 28.5 percent of the vote, followed by the rightwing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which received 20.8 percent. The Social Democrats (SPD), the party of current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, got 16.4 percent, while the Greens received 11.6 percent. The Left earned 8.8 percent. All other parties failed to clear the five percent hurdle required for parliamentary representation.
Customarily, the party getting the most votes in an election opens negotiations with other parties to form a parliamentary majority or other stable government constellation. In the run-up to vote, the conservatives ruled out forming a partnership with the AfD. There is no predetermined time frame for the formation of a new government. Until a new government is in place, the current government remains in power in a caretaker function.
“Germans went to polls to indicate their political preferences, and as is the case in parliamentary democracy, the political parties will now start negotiating to form a new government,” says Germany Trade & Invest CEO Robert Hermann. “This can take weeks or even months. The orderly, civilized transfer of power from one government to the next is a hallmark of German democracy, and the country’s political stability is a major business location advantage and reason why so many of the world’s leading companies expand to and in Germany.”
