Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union, addresses supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin on Sunday after wining the national elections. MARTIN MEISSNER/AP
Relations between Europe and the United States are on course for a major reset following the conclusion of the national elections in Germany.
Provisional results declared on Sunday indicated that Friedrich Merz, leader of the country's conservative opposition, will be the next chancellor, with his center-right Union parties — an alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union — winning 208 seats in the 630-seat German Bundestag, or national parliament.
Merz, who said he hopes to have a coalition government in place by Easter, pledged "independence "from the US and underscored that his "absolute priority" would be "to create unity in Europe".
In a televised discussion on Sunday night, Merz said, "It is clear that this (the US) government does not care much about the fate of Europe." He added that strengthening Europe as quickly as possible is a priority, "so that we can achieve real independence from the US, step by step".
Merz has one realistic option to form a government — a coalition with outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party. The Union parties and their center-left rival have a combined 328 seats in parliament.
Merz has already ruled out a coalition with the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which is now the country's second-largest party with 152 seats.
While the CDU/CSU won 28.6 percent of the vote share, the AfD received 20.8 percent and the SPD 16.4 percent.
European leaders and politicians were quick to congratulate Merz on his win, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying he looked forward to jointly working with the new German chancellor for a "strong and sovereign Europe".
"In this period of uncertainty, we are united to face the great challenges of the world and of our continent," Macron posted on X.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte congratulated Merz on his victory. "Looking forward to working with you in this crucial moment for our shared security," Rutte wrote on X. "It's vital that Europe step up on defense spending and your leadership will be key."
Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China stands ready to work with the new German federal government to consolidate and grow the China-Germany comprehensive strategic partnership.
"China is glad to see Germany and the European Union play an important role in global affairs. It supports the integration of Europe and the strategic independence of the EU, and is ready to work with Germany and the EU to continue contributing to world peace and prosperity," Lin added.
US President Donald Trump's comment on the German election results neither mentioned Merz nor his party by name. Calling the CDU/CSU "the Conservative Party in Germany", Trump wrote on his social media, "Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda … that has prevailed for so many years."
AfD leader Alice Weidel hailed her party's best-ever electoral performance, and said she had received personal congratulations from Trump ally Elon Musk. "We're the power in Germany that is internationally recognized," she added.
Wolfgang Roehr, former German consul general in Shanghai and currently advisory professor at Tongji University, told China Daily that even in a country used to coalition governments, building one may be a big challenge for Merz.
Radhika Desai, a professor in the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba in Canada, said the elections reflected the "multilevel crisis" facing Germany.
Zhang Yunbi in Beijing contributed to this story.
