Germany’s Chancellor-elect, Friedrich Merz, has called for Europe to free itself from U.S. influence immediately after his election victory. He also criticized the interference of both the United States and Russia in Germany’s election.
This information was reported by Al Jazeera and CNN.
According to preliminary election results, Merz’s center-right party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its coalition partner secured 28.6% of the votes, the highest in this election. Now, they must form a coalition government with multiple parties.
After the election results were nearly confirmed, Merz said in a televised discussion on Sunday,
“My biggest goal will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can gradually achieve true independence from the United States.”
The 69-year-old Merz added,
“I never thought I would have to say something like this on television. But after Donald Trump’s statement last week, it is clear that the current U.S. administration does not care much about Europe’s future.”
Merz also criticized U.S. interference in the elections.
Before the election, Elon Musk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, expressed support for Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been criticized as “neo-Nazi.” This endorsement was not well received by any major political party in Germany.
The AfD secured 20.8% of the votes, making it the second-largest party in the election. However, since neither CDU nor any other party is willing to form a coalition with AfD, it will remain the main opposition party in parliament.
No far-right party in Germany has won this many seats since the fall of the Nazi Party.