On February 23, Germany held its federal election, with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its leader Friedrich Merz emerging as the winners. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) also made significant gains, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Chancellor Olaf Scholz suffered losses. Given Germany’s central role in European politics, its elections attract international attention—not just from its neighbors, but across the continent.

To understand how the election was covered in different European countries, this analysis focuses on news search visibility in the UK, France, and Spain. These three countries provide an interesting perspective: the UK as a former EU member, France as Germany’s close political partner, and Spain as a major EU nation with a different historical and political lens.

Using the Trisolute News Dashboard, we examined mobile search visibility from February 21 to 24, capturing coverage both before and after the election results. The ranking types include:

• News Boxes (Headline, Text, Carousel)
• Video Boxes
• Publisher Carousels
• Other Carousels
• Web Stories
• Featured Snippets
• Visual Digest
• Organic rankings

The keyword selection is based on Google News and Google Trends, identifying the most-discussed topics in search and news media. Keywords are sorted by the number of rankings, with ranking values reflecting query data at 15-minute intervals while the keyword remained active.

For each country, we analyzed the top keywords and identified the five most visible publishers in search rankings. Their visibility trends, total rankings, top-ranking keyword, and most visible article provide insights into how the German election was framed in different European media landscapes.

Let’s dive into the data:

United Kingdom

Keywords related to the German election

With a total of 16,021 rankings for all keywords that were related to the German election, the most-ranked keyword in the UK was simply ‘germany’ (3,497 rankings). This suggests that many articles covering the election did not necessarily focus on the political aspects alone but rather framed the election within a broader discussion on the country itself. Similarly, general terms like ‘election’ (3,186 rankings), ‘german election’ (2,862 rankings), and ‘german election live’ (223 rankings) accounted for eight keywords with 11,704 rankings, showing that broad, descriptive terms performed best in ranking. The top three most-ranked keywords in the list all fell under that category.

Among political parties, AfD was by far the most mentioned. Eight different keywords within the list are related to the party, accumulating 2,444 rankings. Notably, five of those keywords contain the term ‘far right’, emphasizing the UK’s framing of the party in ideological terms. By contrast, no other party was explicitly named, including the CDU, the actual election winner. Instead, the CDU was referred to as ‘conservatives’, appearing in six keywords with 2,094 rankings.

In terms of individual politicians, Friedrich Merz was the most-ranked name, with his surname appearing in four keywords with a total of 1,545 rankings. Alice Weidel, the only other politician mentioned by name, appeared in one keyword (‘germany alice weidel’), ranking 152 times. Other than with Friedrich Merz, her name appears with her first and last name.

Interestingly, both Donald Trump (‘trump election’, 103 rankings) and Elon Musk (‘elon musk afd’, 80 rankings) appeared within the ranked keywords.

Let’s now have a look at the top five most visible publishers in the UK, based on this list of keywords:

Top five UK publishers on the German election

The screenshot from the Trisolute News Dashboard shows the courses of visibility for the top five most visible publishers in the UK on the German election from February 21 to February 24 as well as the key times of the election (opening and closing of the polls and first projections of the results) on election day. The diagram shows that even before the election, media discussions on related topics were already high. After the results were final, the top five publishers all showed a slightly more evened-out pattern in their visibility.

Top 5 publishers in the UK for the election in Germany

1. The Guardian (theguardian.com)
   The Guardian was the most visible among the UK publishers reporting on the election in Germany. With 1,838 total keyword rankings, ‘germany’ was the most ranked keyword at 780 rankings. Visibility peaked twice—on February 22 at 5 AM and again on February 23 at 6 PM, coinciding with the release of early election projections. Interestingly, the outlet’s most visible article focused on the resignation of FDP leader Christian Lindner (“FDP leader resigns after German election result – as it happened“), despite neither Lindner nor his party appearing in the top-ranked keywords.
2. BBC (bbc.co.uk)
   BBC’s UK edition reached a total of 1,016 rankings and saw its highest keyword rankings for ‘election’ (275 rankings). Visibility peaked between 1 and 2 AM on February 23, before surging again once the first projections were released, maintaining high visibility throughout February 24. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Far-right AfD surge is warning for Germany’s other parties, says winner Merz”, suggests a focus on the AfD’s rise and its implications rather than a broader breakdown of election results.
3. Independent (independent.co.uk)
   The Independent reached a total of 494 rankings and also focused heavily on ‘election’ (169 rankings). It showed two key peaks: February 21 at 3 AM and February 23 between 1 and 2 AM. Visibility dipped on the night of February 23 to 24 before rebounding the next day. The article that contributed the most to visibility , “German election live: Final poll predicts large gains for AfD hours before vote”, indicates a pre-election emphasis, particularly on polling data that suggested a significant AfD boost.
4. BBC (bbc.com)
   BBC’s global site also ranked highly (1,210 total rankings), with ‘german election’ as its top keyword (342 rankings). Peaks occurred on the morning of February 23 (5 AM) and later that evening (8 PM), aligning with the timeline of election projections. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Final push for votes as German frontrunner vows to lead in Europe”, reflects a broader perspective on Germany’s role in European leadership rather than a domestic policy focus.
5. Politico (politico.eu)
   Politico’s coverage ranked well for ‘german election’ (328 rankings), with the total number of rankings adding up to 812. The publisher saw notable peaks on February 21 (9 PM), February 23 (4 AM), and February 24 (2 PM). The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Alice Weidel took the German far right to new heights. Here’s how she did it.”, suggests a strong emphasis on the AfD’s electoral success and its leadership rather than on the overall election outcome.

France

Keywords related to the German election

The coverage of Germany’s election in French media presents another interesting perspective, shaped by ideological framing and a focus on key figures rather than the winning party. In total, keywords related to the elections came up to 15,454 keyword rankings.

The most-ranked keyword was ‘en allemagne’ (2,518 rankings), reinforcing the idea that articles that contextualized the election as part of broader discussions about Germany rather than focusing solely on the vote itself. Similarly, general election-related terms like ‘Allemagne’ (1,614 rankings), ‘législatives’ (1,344 rankings), and ‘élections’ (1,283 rankings) appeared frequently, totaling 9,259 rankings across ten keywords. This suggests that straightforward election-related keywords performed well, mirroring trends seen in the UK.

The most-ranked politician was Friedrich Merz, whose name appeared in three different keywords (‘friedrich merz’, ‘merz’, ‘friedrich merz l’europe’), accumulating 2,191 rankings. His prominence in French coverage aligns with his role as CDU leader and the election winner, although interestingly, his party (CDU) is not explicitly mentioned in any of the ranked keywords. The only other politician mentioned was Alice Weidel, with three keywords referencing her name, totaling 1,229 rankings. Notably, the keyword ‘alice weidel droite’ (Alice Weidel right-wing) ranked higher (764 rankings) than her name alone (247 rankings). This underscores how French media placed a strong emphasis on the ideological positioning of the AfD rather than just its leadership.

The AfD was the most mentioned party, appearing in eight related keywords with a total of 3,464 rankings. As seen in the UK, the majority of these keywords (six) explicitly contained the word ‘droite’ (right-wing), reinforcing a strong ideological framing of the party. Interestingly, the only other party mentioned in the keyword rankings was Die Linke (451 rankings), while the election-winning CDU was completely absent.

Let’s now once again have a look at the top five most visible publishers in France that reported on the election:

Top five French publishers on the German election

The screenshot from the Trisolute News Dashboard displays the visibility trends of the top five most visible publishers in France covering the German election from February 21 to February 24. It also highlights key moments of the election, such as the opening and closing of polls and the release of the first projections on election day. The diagram indicates that visibility for most publishers began rising on February 22, the day before the election, and continued to increase throughout election day and beyond. This suggests sustained media interest, not just in the lead-up to the vote but also in the post-election phase as the results and their implications were analyzed.

Top 5 publishers in France for the election in Germany

1. France Info (francetvinfo.fr)
   France Info had the highest visibility among French publishers, with 1,295 total rankings. Its most-ranked keyword was ‘en allemagne’ (207 rankings), reflecting a broad interest in Germany beyond just the election itself. Visibility remained consistently high from February 22 onwards, with the most noticeable peaks on February 24 at 6 PM and again between 10-11 PM, indicating strong post-election coverage. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Législatives en Allemagne : le chef des conservateurs, Friedrich Merz, veut un gouvernement “aussi vite que possible””, highlights a focus on Merz’s victory and his push for swift government formation.
2. Le Monde (lemonde.fr)
   Le Monde accumulated 1,185 rankings, with ‘législatives’ as its most-ranked keyword (207 rankings). The publisher saw multiple peaks in visibility, including February 21 at 2 PM, election day at 4 PM, late night after midnight (12-1 AM), and its highest on February 24 at 8 AM. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Alice Weidel, candidate de l’extrême droite allemande et des lieutenants de Trump”, suggests a strong emphasis on the AfD and its ties to broader far-right movements.
3. Le Figaro (lefigaro.fr)
   Le Figaro ranked 951 times, with ‘friedrich merz’ as its most-ranked keyword (363 rankings), showing a clear focus on the CDU leader. Unlike other publishers, its visibility peaked before and after election day rather than during: February 22 (from 1 AM to noon), February 23 at 8 AM (when polls opened), and February 24 at 3 PM. Interestingly, its visibility was relatively low while votes were being counted. Its top article, “En Allemagne, la victoire annoncée du conservateur Friedrich Merz aux élections législatives”, framed Merz’s win as the central story of the election.
4. BFM TV (bfmtv.com)
   BFM TV had 675 total rankings, with its top keyword being ‘en allemagne’ (145 rankings). The publisher experienced early peaks on February 21 at 10 PM, February 22 at 8 PM, and February 23 at 4 AM, but visibility dropped significantly during the announcement of results. This suggests its coverage may have been more pre-election focused. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Allemagne: les conservateurs remportent les élections, percée historique de l’extrême droite”, highlights both the CDU’s victory and the AfD’s gains.
5. Les Echos (lesechos.fr)
   Les Echos secured the fifth spot among the top five publishers with 396 total rankings and ‘en allemagne’ as its most-ranked keyword (101 rankings). Its most notable peak was February 21 at 10 PM, followed by smaller peaks on February 22 at 8 PM, February 23 at 5 AM and 8 PM, and February 24 between 10-11 AM. Its top article, “Elections en Allemagne : Alice Weidel, la leader de l’extrême droite en route vers un succès historique”, indicates a strong focus on the AfD’s electoral performance, positioning its rise as a key narrative in the French coverage.

Spain

Spain’s media coverage of the German elections followed a pattern similar to the UK and France, with a strong focus on general election terms and key political figures. However, some distinct differences stand out, particularly in the mention of Olaf Scholz and the SPD, which were absent from the top keywords in the UK and France.

The most-ranked keyword was ‘alemania’ (5,999 rankings), a trend consistent across the other examined European countries. General election-related keywords also ranked highly, with terms like ‘elecciones alemania’ (2,355 rankings), ‘elecciones’ (1,004), or ‘alemania resultados’ (308) contributing to a total of 12 keywords with 10,957 rankings. This highlights that broad, neutral search terms performed best in visibility.

The most-ranked politician in Spanish media coverage was Alice Weidel, whose name appeared in three keywords, totaling 2,854 rankings. Interestingly, her name alone ranked higher (2,526 rankings) than any combination with the AfD. This differs from the UK and France, where Weidel was frequently mentioned alongside her party. Other politicians in the ranking include Friedrich Merz, whose name appeared in three keywords with 2,144 rankings, and Olaf Scholz, who was mentioned in just one keyword (‘scholz’, 77 rankings). While Scholz’s presence is minimal, it is noteworthy that he and his party, the SPD, were mentioned at all—a contrast to the UK and France, where the SPD was absent from the top-ranking keywords.

As in the other examined countries, the AfD was the most mentioned party, appearing in four related keywords with a total of 4,509 rankings. However, a key difference emerges: in contrast to the UK and France, the AfD was not explicitly labeled as ‘right-wing’ in any of the top keywords. Meanwhile, the SPD was mentioned in three keywords, totaling 377 rankings—a small presence compared to the AfD but still more than in other countries. Notably, the CDU was once again absent from the keyword list, despite Friedrich Merz’s strong ranking.

Based on those keywords, let’s now look at the top five most visible publishers in Spain:

Top five Spanish publishers on the German election

The screenshot from the Trisolute News Dashboard illustrates the visibility trends of the top five most visible publishers in Spain covering the German election from February 21 to February 24. Key election moments, such as the opening and closing of the polls and the release of the first projections, are also marked in the diagram. Visibility remained relatively steady in the days leading up to the election but saw a clear surge on election day (February 23) and the following day (February 24) as the results were analyzed. This suggests that Spanish media engagement intensified as the official outcomes became available, with heightened coverage continuing in the immediate post-election phase.

Top 5 publishers in Spain for the election in Germany

1. ABC (abc.es)
   ABC ranked 985 times, with ‘alemania’ as its most-ranked keyword (321 rankings). Visibility peaked notably on February 23 at 7 AM, 2 PM, and 5 PM (its highest point), as well as on February 24 at 2 PM. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Este es el programa de Alternativa por Alemania y Alice Weidel para las elecciones en Alemania”, focused on the AfD’s platform and its leader Alice Weidel, highlighting the party’s role in the election narrative.
2. El Mundo (elmundo.es)
   El Mundo accumulated 938 total rankings, also with ‘alemania’ as its most-ranked keyword (296 rankings). Visibility increased early on February 22 (2-5 PM), but the most significant surge happened on election night from 9 PM onward, staying high throughout the night and into February 24 at 11 AM, before rising again at 5 PM. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “La CDU/CSU de Friedrich Merz gana las elecciones en Alemania y la ultraderecha de AfD queda segunda”, was one of the few that explicitly mentioned both the CDU and even the CSU (Christian Social Union in Bavaria), even though these terms were not among the top-ranked keywords.
3. El País (elpais.com)
   El País had the highest number of rankings among Spanish publishers, with 1,299 total rankings. Unlike other outlets, its most-ranked keyword was ‘afd’ (333 rankings), signaling a strong emphasis on the far-right party’s election performance. Peaks occurred on February 23 at 7 AM and 10-11 AM, and again on February 24 at 2 AM and 8 AM. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “’Con los votantes de AfD: “Cuanto más se nos excluye, más crecemos””, took a deep dive into the party’s electorate, focusing on how exclusion narratives fuel its growth.
4. El Confidencial (elconfidential.com)
   El Confidencial reached 507 total rankings, with ‘alemania’ as its most-ranked keyword (168 rankings). Visibility peaked on February 22 at 10 PM and February 23 between 1-4 PM but declined after the election results were published. It only picked up again on February 24 at 8 PM. The top article, “Elecciones Alemania 2025: cuándo abren las urnas y a qué hora se sabrán los resultados”, focused on the election timeline rather than political analysis, catering to readers searching for logistical details.
5. La Razón (larazon.es)
   La Razón secured 497 total rankings, with ‘alemania’ as its most-ranked keyword (234 rankings). Unlike other publishers, its visibility fluctuated frequently, with its most notable peaks on February 23 at 4 PM, February 24 at 4 PM, and again at 10 PM. The article that contributed the most to visibility, “Elecciones Alemania 2025, en directo hoy: última hora resultados, escrutinio y reacciones”, provided real-time updates, emphasizing immediate election coverage rather than in-depth analysis.

Key takeaways: How European media covered the German election

Do you want to read more News Dashboard analyses on political topics? Check out these articles:

• An overview on how US publishers reported on the TikTok ban in the US
• A LinkedIn-analysis on Donald Trump’s inauguration for European publishers for France, Spain, Switzerland (French), and the UK
• An analysis on the 2025 presidential inauguration for US publishers
• Two articles (in German) on the German election on which parties ranked before the election, how German publishers covered preliminary reporting, and how they reported during and after the election.

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