Angela Merkel's electoral victory with a taste of defeat

By Haris Ljevo

Citizens of Germany elected the composition of the new parliament (Bundestag) on Sunday, and the election results shocked everyone, both in Germany and across Europe.

As pre-election polls predicted, the coalition of the current Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU won, and she will head the German government for a fourth term, breaking the record of Helmut Kohl, who was Chancellor of Germany for 16 years.

The Christian democrat-led coalition won 33 percent of the vote. Angela Merkel's party won the most votes, but 94 seats fewer in the Bundestag compared to the 2013 elections, which presents a serious challenge for Angela Merkel in forming a coalition. Especially when considering the results of her current partner, the SPD.

The SPD, led by Martin Schulz, won 21 percent of the vote and 137 seats in the Bundestag, 56 fewer than in the previous elections. The SPD's election result is the party's worst result in history, so the social democrats did not even consider a potential coalition. Within the party, the prevailing opinion was to undergo a complete reorganization and attempt to sort things out for the next elections.

Following the election results, Martin Schulz stated that his party would go into opposition, but he also pointed out that Angela Merkel, despite winning the most votes, was the loser of the election. When all is considered, it seems Schulz was not far off the mark.

The biggest shock is undoubtedly the excellent result of 13 percent for the AfD (Alternative for Germany). Third place for the far-right neo-Nazi party and 88 seats in the Bundestag has sounded the alarm not only in Germany but also across Europe. For the first time since the fall of Adolf Hitler, people who publicly identify with his ideas will enter the Bundestag.

Merkel announced that there is no question of forming a coalition with the AfD; instead, she promised to fight to regain lost voter trust, as according to all relevant assessments, the largest number of votes lost by Merkel went to the AfD.

The far-left party Die Linke, which won 9 percent of the vote and 60 seats in the Bundestag, four fewer than in 2013, is also unlikely to be part of the new government. They are strong opponents of Angela Merkel's policies, as well as the SPD, which they accuse of betraying the principles of the left.

According to all forecasts, Germany should get the so-called Jamaica coalition (the name refers to the Jamaican flag: black, yellow, and green). The black CDU/CSU will most likely form a coalition with the yellow FDP liberals and the Greens (Grune). The FDP won 10.7 percent and the Greens 9 percent of the vote.

Although there are significant disagreements among them regarding Angela Merkel's governance of the country, it is realistic to expect that they will ultimately form the new government.