German election results: SPD narrowly wins, no party secures majority

SPD set to lead next government after narrow victory

The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has narrowly won the 2021 German federal election, according to official provisional results. The SPD secured 25.7% of the vote, just ahead of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance, which received 24.1%.

No party secures majority

No party won a decisive majority in the election, which means that the SPD will need to form a coalition government in order to lead the next government. Possible coalition partners include the Green Party, which won 14.8% of the vote, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which won 11.5%.

SPD gains, CDU/CSU loses

The SPD's victory marks a significant gain for the party, which had been trailing in the polls for much of the campaign. The CDU/CSU, which has led the German government for the past 16 years, suffered a significant loss. The Green Party and the FDP both made gains in the election.