BERLIN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Germany's conservative bloc, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), has taken the lead in the country's 2025 federal election, according to preliminary results released by German public broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening.

According to ARD's latest vote counts, CDU/CSU secured 28.5 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.6 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.5 percent.

The Greens came in fourth with 11.8 percent, ahead of Die Linke with 8.7 percent. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) are projected to receive 4.4 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively.

The election will 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.

According to ARD, voter turnout during this election reached 84 percent, the highest level since 1990. The newly elected parliament will select Germany's next chancellor following coalition negotiations among parties.

Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of the CDU/CSU, vowed to move swiftly to form a new government. "Tonight we will celebrate and from tomorrow we start working," Merz said after the vote. "The world out there is not waiting for us."

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.

"This is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party, it is also an electoral defeat," Scholz said. "I have the responsibility for the election result."

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 AfD, on the other hand, has approximately doubled its results from the 2021 election. Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, said that her party is now firmly rooted in mainstream society, calling the election the "historically strongest result."

The AfD has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the CDU/CSU in the upcoming coalition negotiations. However, Merz has ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with the AfD.

Cooperation with the AfD has long been considered taboo by Germany's major political parties.

While acknowledging the challenges of forming a government under current circumstances, Merz said he would strive for the goal of having a government in place by Easter.

On matters of diplomatic policy, he emphasized the need to strengthen Europe step by step, with the goal of achieving independence from the United States. During an appearance on ARD and ZDF's TV program "Berliner Runde," Merz noted that the Trump administration has been "largely indifferent" to the fate of Europe.