The German parliamentary elections of February 23, 2025, have yielded several important observations about the country’s political landscape. The results vary significantly by region, reflecting historical and social divisions between the east and west of the country. The CDU/CSU regained its leading position. The biggest winner is the AfD, which almost doubled its result from 10.3% in 2021 to 19-20% in 2025.
According to preliminary exit poll results, the Christian Democratic union CDU/CSU won a moderate victory, winning around 28-29% of the votes. This result confirms their position as the strongest political force, but does not give them an independent majority, which means that a coalition must be formed.
Second place went to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) with support of 19-20%, which is another sign of the growing popularity of this party, despite its isolation by the main groups. The SPD, the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, won around 16%, which indicates a clear decline in trust in the previous ruling coalition. The Greens, with a result of 13-14%, maintained a solid position, but failed to significantly improve their result from previous years.
An interesting phenomenon is the unexpected success of Die Linke, which with around 8-9% of the votes exceeded expectations and clearly rebounded from earlier declines. In turn, the FDP (4.9%) and BSW (4.7%) fell below the electoral threshold, which could mean an end to the liberals’ political ambitions at the federal level.
Regional election results – historical and social divisions visible
The eastern states (former GDR), such as Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, clearly stand out with strong support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). In the west of the country, the CDU/CSU dominated, especially in traditionally conservative regions such as Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. In the north (e.g. Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony), the CDU/CSU and SPD had more even results, with a slight advantage for the Christian Democrats (around 30% compared to the SPD’s 16-18%). The Greens enjoyed solid support there, especially in the cities (around 13-14%). In the south, especially in Bavaria, the CSU (the regional branch of the CDU/CSU) has traditionally dominated, although the AfD has also gained some support, reaching 15-20% in some districts.
What has changed compared to the 2021 elections?
Comparing the 2025 German parliamentary elections to those in 2021, there are several clear changes in the country’s political landscape.
In 2021, the SPD won the elections with 25.7%, allowing Olaf Scholz to become chancellor in a coalition with the Greens (14.8%) and the FDP (11.5%). The CDU/CSU, after a long period of government under Angela Merkel, recorded a historically low result of 24.1%. The AfD won 10.3%, and Die Linke barely passed the threshold with 4.9%.
In 2025, we have a turn in the opposite direction. The CDU/CSU regained its leading position. The biggest winner is the AfD, which almost doubled its result from 10.3% in 2021 to 19-20% in 2025. This is a clear signal of growing polarization and dissatisfaction with the mainstream parties, especially in the context of migration and the economy. Die Linke also gained, jumping from 4.9% to 8-9%, which may indicate the return of some left-wing voters disappointed with the SPD. In turn, the FDP, which had 11.5% in 2021, is now out of the Bundestag with 4.9% – a dramatic defeat for the liberals, probably resulting from their unpopular decisions in the coalition.
In summary, since 2021 we have seen a shift away from the ruling coalition towards the CDU/CSU and AfD, a decline in trust in the SPD and FDP, and the strengthening of smaller players like Die Linke. The 2025 elections show greater fragmentation and a shift to the right.
