Rutte pointed to the importance of Germany's defense spending in his congratulations to Merz

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on February 23 pointed to the importance of increased defense spending in Europe in a congratulatory message to Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) leader Friedrich Merz.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the NATO Secretary General said he looked forward to working with him at this "decisive moment" for common security

"It is vital that Europe increases defense spending and your leadership will be key," Rutte wrote.

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Friedrich Merz, a candidate for German chancellor from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), said his party had won the February 23 election, noting that a workable coalition must now be formed as soon as possible.

Earlier on February 23, German TV channel ZDF cited Exit poll data, according to which 29% of voters voted for the CDU/CSU. The party "Alternative for Germany" (AdG) for the first time in history took second place in the elections to the Bundestag, gaining 20% of votes. At the same time, Scholz's SPD gained only 16.5% of electorate support, its worst result ever.

Polling stations at early elections to the Bundestag in Germany opened at 8:00 (10:00 Moscow time) and worked until 18:00 (20:00 Moscow time). The right to participate in the elections had 59.2 million citizens of Germany.