After Germany’s Right-Wing Gains in Elections, New Conservative Leader Vows to ‘Achieve Independence’ From U.S. Under Trump’s Rule
variety.comEd Meza @edmezavar While the far right made historic gains in Germany’s pivotal federal elections on Sunday, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party ultimately thrived with Friedrich Merz securing nearly 29% of the vote and placing him in the top spot to lead the country.
Poised to become Germany’s next chancellor, Merz has yet to form a coalition with at least one other party in order to secure a majority in the German parliament, but he has already vowed to “achieve independence from the U.S.A.” in view of President Donald Trump’s indifference towards Europe.
These elections, which saw a record-breaking voter turnout of 83.5% (the highest since unification in 1990), saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party make historic gains to become the second largest political force in the country.
With around 21% of the vote, the AfD nearly doubled its result from four years ago as immigration, crime, inflation, unemployment and the war in Ukraine became hot-button issues that helped galvanized support for the populist, Eurosceptic party, which leads in eastern Germany.
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