Germany is facing a difficult time forming a government. Although CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is the clear winner of the election, he clearly missed his self-imposed target of more than 30 percent of the vote. As the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (BSW) could still make it into the Bundestag, the CDU leader may now need the SPD and Greens as coalition partners in order to form a majority. The FDP fell well short of the five percent threshold, and party leader Christian Lindner subsequently announced his retirement from politics.