While the far right made historic gains in Germany’s pivotal federal elections on Sunday, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party ultimately thrived with Friedrich Merz securing nearly 29% of the vote and placing him in the top spot to lead the country.

Germany's incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said an 'absolute priority' for him will be to distance Europe from the U.S. following comments by President Donald Trump.

Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz could be left with little room to ease fiscal policy, Berenberg's Holger Schmieding said in a note. The populist AfD and Left parties garnered more than one-third of seats and could block any changes to the German constitution.

Friedrich Merz’s conservatives triumphed in Germany’s elections, obtaining over 28% of the vote, as the far-right AfD gained over 20%. Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD suffered a historic defeat with just 16%,

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Friedrich Merz is on course to become post-World War II Germany’s 10th chancellor, the culmination of a yearslong political career that was once sidelined by his party’s iconic leader

The conservative party in Germany dominated elections during the weekend, with Friedrich Merz poised to become the nation's next chancellor.

Chancellor-in-waiting may ask for shelter under UK and France’s nuclear umbrella as he calls for Europe to build up its defence capabilities