Berlin, Germany - Recent Germany's conservative bloc, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), has won in the country's 2025 federal election, the German Federal Returning Officer announced in the early hour of Monday based on the preliminary results. According to vote counts, CDU/CSU secured 28.6 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.8 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.4 percent. The Greens came in fourth with 11.6 percent, ahead of Die Linke with 8.8 percent. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) received 4.3 percent and 4.972 percent, respectively. Under the new German electoral law, the very election, which kicked off on Sunday, set the number of seats in the Bundestag at 630 and would determine the composition of the next Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. A party must receive at least 5 percent of the national vote to gain representation in the Bundestag which holds legislative power and is responsible for electing the Federal Chancellor. Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of the CDU/CSU, vowed to move swiftly to form a new government, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged the SPD's historic defeat and stated that he would remain in office until a new coalition government is formed. Christian Lindner, who has served as FDP chairman for over 11 years, announced on social media that he will retire from politics after the election. The FDP withdrew from the ruling coalition last year following disagreements with Scholz's SPD. The last federal election was held on September 26, 2021. Normally, the election will be held every four years, and this election should have been held in September this year, but a snap election was triggered by the collapse of the current ruling coalition of the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP last year. The new federal election was brought forward to February 23 after the vote of confidence and the confirmation by the president. The election this time saw approximately 59 million people eligible to cast their ballots. Many voters expressed that they hope the results of the election can bring changes to Germany. Shotlist: Berlin, Germany - Recent: 1. Various of national flags of Germany; Bundestag building; 2. Various of Federal Chancellery building; Berlin, Germany - Feb 23, 2025 3. Traffic; election poster of Christian Democratic Union (CDU); 4. Various of election poster of Alternative for Germany (AfD); 5. Traffic; election poster of Social Democratic Party (SPD); 6. Voters heading to polling station; directory sign for polling station; 7. Voter entering polling station; volunteers outside polling station; 8. Voters arriving at polling station; volunteers checking their information; 9. Ballot; 10. SOUNDBITE (German) Thorsten, resident (full name not given): "In fact, I've never felt voting was so important that this election is somehow particularly crucial."; 11. SOUNDBITE (German) Hassan, volunteer of polling station (full name not given): "The election is important, but I think because the current government hasn't functioned, since the FDP (Free Democratic Party) left. I think a clear message is needed that we simply need the people to cast their vote, so that maybe something else happens, perhaps, a change."; 12. Various of people outside polling station; sign, number of polling station; Dresden, Germany - Feb 20, 2025 13. Pedestrians; 14. Statue; buildings; 15. Aerial shot of cityscape. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]