Preliminary election results on Sunday evening indicate that Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is on track for victory, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerging as the second-largest party. Celebrations erupted at CDU’s headquarters, though a small protest was staged outside against party leader Friedrich Merz’s immigration policies. CDU secured 28.8% of the votes, paving the way for Merz to form a government for the first time. AfD made significant gains, securing 20.2% of the vote, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) dropped to third place with 16.2%.