Conservative CDU/CSU win German federal election

Germany's conservative bloc, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), has won in the country's 2025 federal election, the German Federal Returning Officer announced in the early hour of Monday based on the preliminary results.

According to vote counts, CDU/CSU secured 28.6 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.8 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.4 percent.

The Greens came in fourth with 11.6 percent, ahead of Die Linke with 8.8 percent. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) received 4.3 percent and 4.972 percent, respectively.

Under the new German electoral law, the very election, which kicked off on Sunday, set the number of seats in the Bundestag at 630 and would determine the composition of the next Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. A party must receive at least 5 percent of the national vote to gain representation in the Bundestag which holds legislative power and is responsible for electing the Federal Chancellor.

Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of the CDU/CSU, vowed to move swiftly to form a new government, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged the SPD's historic defeat and stated that he would remain in office until a new coalition government is formed.

Christian Lindner, who has served as FDP chairman for over 11 years, announced on social media that he will retire from politics after the election.

The FDP withdrew from the ruling coalition last year following disagreements with Scholz's SPD.

The last federal election was held on September 26, 2021. Normally, the election will be held every four years, and this election should have been held in September this year, but a snap election was triggered by the collapse of the current ruling coalition of the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP last year. The new federal election was brought forward to February 23 after the vote of confidence and the confirmation by the president.

The election this time saw approximately 59 million people eligible to cast their ballots. Many voters expressed that they hope the results of the election can bring changes to Germany.

"In fact, I've never felt voting was so important that this election is somehow particularly crucial," said Thorsten, a local resident of Berlin.

"The election is important, but I think because the current government hasn't functioned, since the FDP (Free Democratic Party) left. I think a clear message is needed that we simply need the people to cast their vote, so that maybe something else happens, perhaps, a change," said Hassan, a volunteer working at the polling station.

Conservative CDU/CSU win German federal election

Conservative CDU/CSU win German federal election

Conservative CDU/CSU win German federal election

Conservative CDU/CSU win German federal election

Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.

The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.

Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.

"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.

"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.

"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.

Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.

Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.

"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.

"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.

Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts