https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Nearly 10 million people in Germany were eligible to vote on Sunday as mayoral run-off elections took place in North Rhine-Westphalia. As the CDU made gains and the AfD failed to win, we look at the results in detail and what they mean. https://www.thelocal.de/20250929/winners-and-losers-what-nrws-run-off-elections-reveal-about-germany Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:22:29 +0200 winners-and-losers-what-nrws-run-off-elections-reveal-about-germany Germany's leading conservative party has hung on to a strong lead in cities across the western state, but overall support for mainstream parties has dipped while support for the far-right has grown. https://www.thelocal.de/20250915/cdu-wins-elections-in-north-rhine-westphalia-while-far-right-gains-stronger-foothold Mon, 15 Sep 2025 12:51:10 +0200 cdu-wins-elections-in-north-rhine-westphalia-while-far-right-gains-stronger-foothold Every major political party, with one exception, agreed to follow a code of conduct when campaigning for Sunday's election in North Rhine-Westphalia. So what are 'fairness agreements' in German politics, and why don't they apply to the far-right? https://www.thelocal.de/20250915/what-are-fairness-agreements-in-german-political-campaigns Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:11:00 +0200 what-are-fairness-agreements-in-german-political-campaigns German lawmakers will gather in early May to elect Friedrich Merz as chancellor after his conservative bloc sealed a coalition agreement with the main centre-left party, the Bundestag said Monday. https://www.thelocal.de/20250414/cdu-leader-friedrich-merz-set-to-become-next-german-chancellor-on-may-6 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 18:27:15 +0200 cdu-leader-friedrich-merz-set-to-become-next-german-chancellor-on-may-6 With the centre-right conservatives set to take the helm of the next German government, and the far-right having made significant gains, readers of The Local shared their thoughts on the election results. https://www.thelocal.de/20250225/a-fifth-of-voters-hate-me-how-do-foreigners-in-germany-feel-about-far-right-surge Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:09:55 +0100 a-fifth-of-voters-hate-me-how-do-foreigners-in-germany-feel-about-far-right-surge After a close-run election, a new German parliament is coming together. Our columnist Brian Melican shares who the vote winners and losers are, and what the results mean for the next government. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/opinion-merz-is-on-top-but-the-left-are-surprise-winners-in-germanys-dramatic-election Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:51:34 +0100 opinion-merz-is-on-top-but-the-left-are-surprise-winners-in-germanys-dramatic-election Germany's conservatives led by election winner Friedrich Merz held first talks Friday with the Social Democrats on forming a coalition government as the country faces multiple challenges at home and abroad. https://www.thelocal.de/20250228/german-election-winner-merz-starts-government-talks Fri, 28 Feb 2025 18:41:27 +0100 german-election-winner-merz-starts-government-talks Germany's conservatives, who won elections last weekend, are set to start exploratory talks with the Social Democrats on Friday towards forming a coalition government, party sources said. https://www.thelocal.de/20250228/conservatives-and-spd-take-first-steps-towards-forming-new-german-government Fri, 28 Feb 2025 09:20:53 +0100 conservatives-and-spd-take-first-steps-towards-forming-new-german-government Many of the 213,000 people with German citizenship living abroad were unable to have a say in the snap election because postal voting documents were not delivered or arrived too late, according to an investigation. https://www.thelocal.de/20250227/many-germans-abroad-excluded-from-voting-due-to-poor-preparation-and-slow-post Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:47:05 +0100 many-germans-abroad-excluded-from-voting-due-to-poor-preparation-and-slow-post German election winners, the conservatives, have started initial coalition talks with the SPD. But experts warn that forming a functioning government is just one of many challenges politicians need to overcome to tackle far-right gains. https://www.thelocal.de/20250225/can-germanys-next-leader-tackle-economic-woes-and-far-right-gains Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:01:19 +0100 can-germanys-next-leader-tackle-economic-woes-and-far-right-gains The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) confirmed Tuesday that its new cohort of MPs will include Maximilian Krah, a man thrown out of its caucus in the European Parliament after various scandals. https://www.thelocal.de/20250225/scandal-hit-afd-politician-makes-comeback-in-german-bundestag Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:35:55 +0100 scandal-hit-afd-politician-makes-comeback-in-german-bundestag Germany's main conservative Christian Democrat parties won parliamentary elections Sunday in a vote that saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieve a record score. We look at some key numbers that help explain the events. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/in-numbers-what-happened-in-the-german-election Mon, 24 Feb 2025 19:00:26 +0100 in-numbers-what-happened-in-the-german-election After a humbling election defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats (SPD), the party looked to collect itself on Monday in preparation for a potential new role as the junior partner in a conservative-led government. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/stunned-social-democrats-turn-to-supporting-role-in-new-german-government Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:51:41 +0100 stunned-social-democrats-turn-to-supporting-role-in-new-german-government CDU leader Friedrich Merz said he would get down to work after election win. But from warning against the AfD and addressing shaky US relations to his plans to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, Merz may already be ruffling feathers. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/netanyahu-trump-and-the-far-right-what-merz-said-the-day-after-german-election Mon, 24 Feb 2025 17:42:36 +0100 netanyahu-trump-and-the-far-right-what-merz-said-the-day-after-german-election The conservatives and the far-right have swept up nearly half the votes in Germany’s national election, but the results look very different between regions and among different demographics. We take a closer look at how Germans voted this time around. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/how-did-different-groups-of-germans-vote-in-the-federal-election Mon, 24 Feb 2025 16:04:20 +0100 how-did-different-groups-of-germans-vote-in-the-federal-election Alternative for Germany (AfD) doubled its score in Germany's 2025 elections. But the nationalist right isn't just on the rise in Germany. Here's an overview of where they're gaining ground in Europe. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/where-in-europe-is-the-hard-right-on-the-rise Mon, 24 Feb 2025 16:39:06 +0100 where-in-europe-is-the-hard-right-on-the-rise After the CDU/CSU emerged as the largest party in the federal election, one thing is certain: Germany is heading for a change of government. Which coalitions are possible according to the latest results? https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/what-kind-of-coalition-government-should-germany-expect-after-election Mon, 24 Feb 2025 13:07:28 +0100 what-kind-of-coalition-government-should-germany-expect-after-election The conservative alliance has won Germany's snap election, while the far-right AfD made record gains. We want to know how you feel about the results. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/tell-us-how-do-you-feel-about-the-election-results-as-a-foreigner-in-germany Mon, 24 Feb 2025 11:59:00 +0100 tell-us-how-do-you-feel-about-the-election-results-as-a-foreigner-in-germany The conservatives have won Germany's federal election, initial results show. How are other parties faring, what's the reaction and what happens next? https://www.thelocal.de/20250223/what-happens-next-in-germany-after-conservative-election-win Sun, 23 Feb 2025 22:10:22 +0100 what-happens-next-in-germany-after-conservative-election-win The head of Germany's pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), Christian Lindner, resigned on Sunday night after the party failed to cross the five-percent threshold to enter parliament. https://www.thelocal.de/20250224/fdp-leader-who-sparked-german-governments-downfall-resigns Mon, 24 Feb 2025 11:42:53 +0100 fdp-leader-who-sparked-german-governments-downfall-resigns