Friedrich Merz seeks coalition with Social Democrats after German election results

Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), plans to form a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) after winning 28.5% of the vote in Germany's February 23 election. The SPD's support dropped to 16.4%, marking a record low. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 20.8%, while the Free Democrats (FDP) fell out of parliament with just 4.3%. The election highlighted divisions between eastern and western Germany, with the AfD performing better in the east. Merz aims to strengthen Europe and may consider loosening Germany's debt restrictions to fund tax cuts and defense spending. However, the SPD has indicated it will negotiate carefully, as there are no viable alternatives to a CDU/CSU-SPD coalition.