- Germany’s SPD party is ahead in the federal elections, followed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) colalition, according to the latest projections
- Once the final results are in, the parties will seek to form a coalition
- Retiring Chancellor Angela Merkel will remain until coalition talks conclude, a process which could take weeks or months
- The Greens have secured their best result in a federal election, and the far-right AfD is set to enter parliament for a second time
Germany looks set to be governed by a coalition government for the next four years, based on preliminary results from Sunday’s federal election.
The election marked the end of an era in German politics, with Chancellor Angela Merkel retiring after 16 years at the helm.
However she will continue to lead the country until a new coalition is formed – a process that took almost six months in 2017 – and the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, votes on her successor.
The latest projections from German media organisation tagesschau, put the Social Democratic Party (SPD) ahead with 25.8 per cent of the vote, followed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) coalition with 24.1 per cent.
Far-right party Alternative for Germany, AfD – which has campaigned against the European Union, immigration, LGBTIQ rights and climate protection – will sit in the Bunderstag for a second time since first winning seats in 2017.
The Greens (Grüne) also secured their highest ever national poll result with 14.6 per cent of the vote.