German opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) said that his party's expected victory in the European Parliament election show German voters want a change of course.
"Making a real course correction now is urgently necessary in the interests of our country, and I call on the federal government to do so in the coming days," Merz said on Sunday evening.
His remarks came shortly after the first exit polls were released, showing his conservative CDU/CSU bloc with a clear lead at around 30% and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in second place.
"With this European election, we are back in first place among the German parties by a wide margin," Merz said.
Exit polls projected all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition to lose ground among voters.
"Things can't go on as they have over the last two and a half years," said Merz. The vote is "really the last warning" for Scholz's coalition ahead of German parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn of 2025.
Merz contended that the results showed voters turning against the government on issues including migration and economic policy.
Merz also contended that the far-right AfD, which appears set to gain seats in Brussels, have peaked in popularity.
