Germany鈥檚 conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said on Monday he would seek talks with the centre-left to speedily build a government as Europe faces tectonic changes in transatlantic ties.
The Christian Democrats鈥� leader said he would reach out to the Social Democrats of vanquished Chancellor Olaf Scholz with hopes of forging a stable ruling alliance of the two traditional big-tent parties.
After the surge of the far-right AfD, Merz said the mainstream parties must answer concerns of voters drifting to the fringes, calling the AfD鈥檚 record 20 per cent result 鈥榯he last warning to the political parties of the democratic centre in Germany鈥�.
Merz, 69, has said he wants a ruling coalition in place within two months so Berlin can act again on the European and world stage after months of paralysis since Scholz鈥檚 coalition imploded in early November.
US president Donald Trump has blindsided Europe and Ukraine by launching direct talks with Russia to end the war and voicing doubt about America鈥檚 future commitment to the NATO alliance.
Trump has repeated Russian talking points about Ukraine鈥檚 supposed responsibility in starting the war, raising concern in Europe that he would agree to Moscow鈥檚 terms.
Merz, a committed transatlanticist, said Monday he would seek good ties with the United States under Trump but was also ready for 鈥榯he worst-case scenario鈥�.
鈥楢ll the signals we are receiving from the United States indicate that interest in Europe is decreasing,鈥� he told a post-election press conference in Berlin.
Merz also said he had a 鈥榣engthy鈥� call with Emmanuel Macron late Sunday, as the French president headed to Washington to meet with Trump.
鈥榃e discussed the topics he wants to address with the American president, and I found that there was complete agreement between what he wants to say and what I want to say鈥�, Merz said.
As the Ukraine war grinds on into a fourth year, Merz also pledged continued support for Kyiv, where other European leaders were meeting for the anniversary.
In Sunday鈥檚 election, Merz鈥檚 CDU/CSU bloc handily defeated Scholz鈥檚 SPD, which scored a historic low of 16 per cent, and the Greens, who won 11 per cent.
The conservatives are set to first enter talks with the SPD, but without Scholz, who apologised for the 鈥榖itter鈥� defeat and will stay on in a caretaker role until a new government is formed.
After a highly polarised campaign, Merz will have to enter a process of horse-trading on party policies and red lines to hammer out a platform for a future governing alliance.
鈥楾hese are difficult starting conditions for a new German government, which is facing Herculean tasks in domestic and foreign policy,鈥� said Cornelia Woll of the Hertie School Berlin.
鈥極ne might hope that Germany will nevertheless be able to act quickly, so that it does not just have to watch how Trump and Putin shape the future.鈥�
The far-right AfD meanwhile celebrated what it called a 鈥榟istoric鈥� win. Its strong gains, especially in its heartland in the ex-communist east, were driven by fears over immigration after a spate of attacks blamed on migrants.
Merz鈥檚 CDU/CSU alliance and all other parties have pledged to keep the AfD out of power and behind a 鈥榝irewall鈥� of non-cooperation.
Merz sparked outrage and street protests during the campaign when he accepted AfD support to pass a parliamentary motion calling for an immigration crackdown.
Critics called that a breach of a post-war taboo in German politics but Merz insists he will never cooperate or govern with the party.
AfD leader Alice Weidel on Monday again urged the mainstream parties to stop isolating them.
鈥楾hey cannot exclude millions of voters,鈥� she said. 鈥楾hat is undemocratic. The firewall must go 鈥� no functioning democracy has a firewall.鈥�
Trump ally Elon Musk, who has strongly backed the AfD, said on X that 鈥榠t鈥檚 only a matter of time before AfD wins鈥� 鈥� a scenario that worries many German voters.
One of them, Joerg Seiffert, 69, a therapist in Berlin, said he was 鈥榲ery disappointed and frustrated by the rise of the AfD鈥�.
鈥楾he worst thing would be if the CDU were to join forces with the AfD after all,鈥� he said. 鈥楢nd I really don鈥檛 know today whether it wouldn鈥檛 actually happen.鈥�
