The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.

But Germany’s voting system is notoriously complex, making it difficult for many to digest the results as they roll in on election night. This year, a newly reformed electoral law designed to shrink a bloated Bundestag will also kick in for the first time,

The centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) are projected to win Germany’s 2025 federal election, securing 30 per cent of the vote and 220 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag, according to YouGov’s final MRP forecast released Friday (February 21).