Swiss press on the federal election "The AfD is the secret winner of this election"

The Swiss press has not described an easy starting position for CDU leader Friedrich Merz after winning the federal election: The AfD is gaining strength, foreign policy pressure is growing.

Keystone-SDA

24.02.2025, 05:58

24.02.2025, 07:44

SDA

Merz is dependent on the other parties' willingness to compromise while time is running out, as was evident from the commentary columns on Monday. "Merz's CDU/CSU is doomed to success" was the title of Tamedia 's commentary on the German parliamentary elections. As Merz does not want to form a coalition with the AfD, he will have to see what compromises the Social Democrats or Greens are prepared to make. "If Merz fails in the task of forming a coalition, his dream of becoming chancellor is likely to be shattered shortly before the finish line," wrote Tamedia.

If the CDU/CSU "makes too many lazy compromises, the AfD will be breathing down its neck from day one, accusing it of betraying its own promises", commented Tamedia. Moreover, "time is pressing like never before: The foreseeable avalanche of tariffs from the USA and the peace plans for Ukraine mean that Germany needs a government capable of acting as quickly as possible. Merz faces a Herculean task."

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"Europe needs a strong Germany"

According to the commentary on the Watson platform, the parties must not "take an infinite amount of time to form a coalition". "Because Europe needs a strong Germany," wrote Watson. The greatest opportunity for Friedrich Merz and his government is that expectations are low. "The largest voter turnout since reunification in 1990 is another ray of hope. Germans may be dissatisfied, but they are not disenchanted with politics," wrote Watson.

"For the first time in almost eighty years, Germans are realizing that they can no longer rely on their great American friend to protect them," wrote the Tamedia newspapers "Tribune de Genève" and "24 Heures" in western Switzerland. Germany cannot afford to be the "sick man" of Europe, wrote "Le Temps". "In the slipstream of other European countries, Germany is now confronted with an extreme right that has not been this strong since the Second World War," commented Le Temps. Its breakthrough at national level reflects an insecurity that is rarely seen in our northern neighbor.

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Germany's behavior on the European stage will be even more important than the domestic political debate, wrote "Blick". Merz will not be blinded, "neither by the propagandistic phrases from the Kremlin nor by the glaring spotlight in the Konrad Adenauer House." However, Merz faces "a difficult dance", commented "Blick".

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"An anxious wait for now"

All he has left is the grand coalition, or Groko for short, wrote "Blick". The newspaper described the coalition with the SPD as a "forced political marriage". "But what does that mean for Germany?" asked "Blick" in the comments column and answered: "First of all, an anxious wait. The negotiations on 'How exactly?' and 'Who exactly?' will take quite a while."

"The extent to which the reforms in economic and migration policy that the country so urgently needs will come in the coming years is uncertain," wrote CH Media. One thing suggests that the parties "could force themselves to make painful compromises: the rise of the AfD."

The AfD is the secret winner of this election - and is "hot on the Union's heels", commented the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). "Merz can now only hope that a single coalition partner will be enough," wrote the NZZ. If the Greens also have to be brought on board for a stable majority, the CDU/CSU could face completely different problems in the next general election. "In the worst-case scenario, the AfD will no longer just be hot on its heels. But several steps ahead," wrote the NZZ.