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Germany’s Political Landscape and the 2025 Election

Governance

Published on February 26, 2025

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The shifting political landscape in Germany is shaped by key parties, their ideologies, and the results of the 2025 election. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) have led with a focus on social policies balanced by the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU). At the same time, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained prominence with its Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant platform. The collapse of the SPD-led coalition government highlights the economic and geopolitical challenges facing Germany as the CDU/CSU rises as the leading party. Their foreign policy stances and the potential formation of a new government are critical to addressing Germany’s economic struggles and shifting international relations.

Every four years, Germans go to the polls to determine who will represent them in the Bundestag and, ultimately, who will become Chancellor and lead the Federal Government. The SPD and the CDU/CSU often work as governing partners, specifically under the leadership of Angela Merkel, who represented the CDU as Chancellor from 2005 to 2021. Since December 2021, the SPD has been the largest party in the Bundestag and created a governing coalition with the Greens and the FDP. However, several factors made the reelection of SPD as the majority party unlikely.

On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Germans selected a new government. The CDU/CSU party won ~29% of the vote (+4.4% from the 2021 election), the AfD placed second with ~21% (+10.4%), and the SPD finished third with ~16% (-9.3%). This would give each party 208, 152, and 120 seats in the Bundestag. 

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