On Sunday, projections indicated that Friedrich Merz’s conservative party would narrowly win the national election, while the Alternative for Germany party nearly doubled its support, marking the best performance for a far-right party since World War II.

Jan van Aken, Chairman of the Left Party, remarked, “Today, more than four million people voted for the Left Party, indicating a longing for a different world. This reflects four million individuals with whom we can collaborate in the coming years to build a better, more beautiful, and fairer society. We are ready, and I look forward to working with you in the years to come.”

Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor, acknowledged the defeat for his center-left Social Democrats, describing the outcome as “a bitter election result.”

Projections from ARD and ZDF public television suggested that his party would finish in third place, marking its worst performance in a national parliamentary election since World War II.

Among the smaller parties, the hard-left Left Party experienced gains, securing up to 9% of the vote following a significant surge during the campaign.

In a post-election address, party leader Jan van Aken cautioned Friedrich Merz that the Left Party would staunchly resist any future cuts to social services.

At the same time, the pro-business Free Democrats and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance were both on track to meet the 5% threshold required to secure seats.

FDP leader Christian Lindner characterized the expected election results as a setback for the Free Democrats but emphasized that “in the coming years, political liberalism will be more crucial than ever, which is why the Free Democratic flag will be hoisted again starting tomorrow.”