German Elections: Merz Emphasizes 'Independence' from the US and Discusses NATO's Future

German media, citing unofficial results of the parliamentary elections, reported that the victory of the Christian conservative coalition has paved the way for Friedrich Merz, the leader of this coalition, to become Chancellor. Furthermore, the far-right AfD has achieved results beyond predictions, standing as the second most successful party. Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz has acknowledged his party's defeat in the elections. Meanwhile, European leaders have congratulated Mr. Merz, and Donald Trump, the President of the United States, called the conservatives' victory a 'great day for Germany.' Official election results are expected to be announced in a few hours. However, the latest results from election observers indicate that the conservative coalition led by Mr. Merz has garnered 28.6% of the votes, a figure lower than pre-election predictions. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has reached a new record with 20.8% of the votes, placing it as the second most successful party. The Social Democrats, led by Olaf Scholz, faced a bitter night, coming in third with only 16.4% of the votes. The Greens and the Left Party ranked fourth and fifth with 11.6% and 8.7% of the votes, respectively. The lower house of the German parliament, known as the Bundestag, has 630 seats. According to the German news agency DPA, the voter turnout in the election on Sunday was 80.3%, the highest since the reunification of Germany in 1990; the turnout in the previous general election held in 2021 was 76.4%. In the parliamentary elections, Merz declared victory, and Scholz accepted defeat. Leaders of the participating parties, as per the usual electoral practice in Germany, participated in a televised roundtable late Sunday evening, where Friedrich Merz expressed hope that the new government would be formed before 'Easter' (April 19). Mr. Merz also stated, 'My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible, so that we can gradually become truly independent from the United States on security issues.' He emphasized that he has 'no illusions about what is said from America,' adding, 'After last week's statements from Donald Trump, it is clear that Americans are largely indifferent to Europe's fate.' The US President has repeatedly stated that the share of costs for NATO between the US and Europe is 'unfair' and that European countries have entrusted their security to Washington. Friedrich Merz also discussed NATO's future, stating that at the upcoming meeting of this military organization, it will be decided whether NATO will continue 'in its current form' or whether there is a need to develop Europe's independent defense capabilities much faster. Donald Trump, despite recent tensions in US-European relations, welcomed the results of the German elections, writing on his social media that the conservatives' victory was a 'great day for Germany.' According to Mr. Trump, the German people, like the American people, are tired of unreasonable policies, 'especially regarding energy and immigration.' Meanwhile, Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, the leaders of the UK and France (key NATO allies), congratulated Friedrich Merz on his party's victory and emphasized the need to increase European security efforts. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, also congratulated Friedrich Merz on social media, stating, 'Europe must be able to defend itself, develop its industries, and achieve the necessary results.' Mr. Merz and his party must negotiate with other parties to form a coalition government. These negotiations will be challenging due to deep divisions in Germany over immigration issues and how to deal with the far-right.