Parliamentary elections in Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholtz concedes defeat

^{Photo: Reuters}
Parliamentary (Bundestag) elections were held in Germany. Exit polls show the victory of the conservative bloc of the CDU/CSU. The candidate from this bloc, Friedrich Merz, demanded the formation of a government in a short time.

The candidate for Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, from the conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), demanded the formation of a government in a short time. He made this statement after the announcement of the first unofficial results of the Bundestag elections on February 23.

According to exit polls, the CDU/CSU won 29 percent of the vote. The ultra-right Alternative for Germany party came in second with 19.6 percent. The Social Democrats won 16 percent, while the Alliance 90/Greens won 13.3 percent. The Left Party won 8.6 percent.

Meanwhile, Germany's current Chancellor Olaf Scholz has admitted defeat in the election. "This is a bitter election result for the Social Democrats. I also bear responsibility for the election results," Scholz said. He congratulated Merz and the CDU/CSU on their victory in the parliamentary elections. "We live in a democratic country," Scholz said, hinting at his opponent's victory. At the same time, he stressed that it was unacceptable that almost 20 percent of voters in Germany voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

On February 23, early parliamentary elections were held in Germany. There are 59.2 million voters in the country, of whom 24.9 million (42 percent) are over 60. About 2.3 million voters (3.9 percent) are young people who have reached the age of 18 and are voting in federal elections for the first time.

It should be recalled that in late December last year, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the country's parliament (Bundestag) and set early parliamentary elections for February 23, 2025. "In difficult times like these, a competent government and a reliable majority in parliament are needed to ensure stability," he said. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”