On February 23, Germans voted for their next chancellor. Whoever was to come into the role would find themselves amidst many problems, including a stagnating economy, international relations, a slew of violent attacks, and contending debates on immigration. The voting for a new chancellor was spurred by a decline in support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his three-party government. One of the current Germany’s biggest concerns is their industrial-based economy, which has not seen growth in five years. When paired with higher tax rates, struggling infrastructure, and increases in energy prices, it is no surprise that the economy is on the top of many German voters’ minds. 

There were multiple parties to look for on the ballots. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a center-right party and is led by Friedrich Merz. Alternative for Germany, which came in second and obtained 20.8% of votes, is an extreme far-right party which holds controversial views on many of the issues currently affecting Germany. One of their main pull factors was their opposition to Muslim immigration to Germany. AfD had the most votes in former East Germany, where, for the most part, income is lower and people are older. The very small Die Linke party, which is democratic socialist, secured only 8.8% of the votes, yet were able to obtain 64 seats in Parliament. The former chancellor’s party, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, came in third with the least votes since 1890. 

While the Christian Democratic Union ended up winning, there was a shocking number of votes for AfD. It is theorized that the party’s relative success is partially due to Elon Musk’s endorsement. It was the best performance of a German far-right party since World War II. 

According to the Associated Press, the new Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, plans to unite Europe, continue relations with the United States, and have a tougher approach to migration.