The German Elections

 Germany held its elections and preliminary results are in. According to Deutsche Welle, "preliminary results show the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz and its sister Christian Social Union (CSU) won the election," with "[t]he far-right [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) was projected to finish second." 

    The big winner of the election in terms of voter gains was the right-wing populist AfD, which nearly doubled its vote share.

    The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), led by current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, recorded not only its worst result in a federal election but also its largest loss of votes compared to previous elections.

    The neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose withdrawal from the coalition triggered the snap election, also suffered heavy losses. The party won't enter the Bundestag after failing to meet the 5% threshold.

But the CDU/CSU did not win enough seats to hold a majority in the Bundestag and will have to form a coalition with another party. Per the article, however, "[t]he CDU has ruled out a coalition with the AfD, insisting that it is the 'firewall' to the far right. That leaves a two-way grand coalition with the SPD or a three-way coalition that includes the Greens as the most likely options, depending on the final seat distribution." Or as I would term it, cutting off their nose to spite their face.

    As for the CDU and what it portends, the BBC reports that "Merz, 69, has never held a ministerial job, but he has promised if he becomes the next German chancellor to show leadership in Europe and beef up support for Ukraine." The article also indicates that "Friedrich Merz's first priority will be to try to form a coalition made up of his Christian Democrats (and their Bavarian sister party, the CSU) and Scholz's centre left, despite the Social Democrats' worst-ever showing of 16.4%." 

    Merz's victory was quickly welcomed by leaders across much of Europe. France's Emmanuel Macron spoke of uniting at a time of uncertainty to "face the major challenges of the world and our continent", while the UK's Sir Keir Starmer sought to "enhance our joint security and deliver growth for both our countries".

    Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats continue to rely on older voters for their success, while voters aged 18-24 appear to be far more interested in both the AfD and another party, the Left, which surged in the polls in recent weeks. 

In other words, more of the same Euro-technocratic managed decline and Islamification of the country.