Germany's center-left Social Democrats narrowly beat Merkel's bloc in national election


Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union bloc narrowly lost Sunday's national election to the center-left Social Democrats, election officials said early Monday in Berlin. With all 299 constituencies counted, the Social Democrats won 25.9 percent of the vote, the CDU bloc won 24.1 percent, the Greens came in third with 14.8 percent, and the business-centered Free Democrats earned 11.5 percent. No winning party in post-World War II German had ever taken less than 31 percent of the vote, The Associated Press reports.
Social Democrats leader Olaf Scholz claimed victory and said voters had returned "an encouraging message and a clear mandate to make sure that we get a good, pragmatic government for Germany." A more subdued CDU bloc leader Armin Laschet declined to concede, noting that "it hasn't always been the first-placed party that provided the chancellor."
Both parties will likely try to form a coalition government with the Greens and Free Democrats. Scholz, the outgoing vice chancellor and finance minister, and Laschet, governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state, said they will try to form a government by Christmas. In the meantime, Merkel, who is retiring after 16 years as chancellor, will stay on to lead a caretaker government.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Whatever coalition ends up in power, Germany's friends can at least take heart that moderate centrism has prevailed, and the populism that has taken hold in other European countries failed to break through," Reuters reports. The far-right Alternative for Germany got 10.3 percent of the vote, down from 12.6 percent in 2017, and the post-communist Left party got 4.9 percent.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Political cartoons for October 18
Cartoons Saturday's editorial cartoons include conversion therapy, Russ Vought, and more
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Sudoku medium: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections