Provisional results confirmed that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election​, while far-right party AfD surged to become the nation's second-largest.

The shooting star of the 2025 election was undoubtedly the Left Party. shouted Left Party co-leader Jan van Aken to the cheering crowd at the election party in Berlin as the projected election results rolled in.

German The Left (Die Linke) party leader Heidi Reichinnek speaks during a session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag, after Christian Democratic Party (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz succeeded in getting a motion passed in parliament that calls for a migration crackdown,

Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election.

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.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's mainstream conservatives, has said that Europe must become independent from the United States in security matters, after his grouping won the biggest share of the vote in federal elections.

By Andreas Rinke and Matthias Williams BERLIN (Reuters) -Election winner Friedrich Merz on Tuesday ruled out a quick reform to Germany's state borrowing limits known as the "debt brake" and said it was too soon to say whether the outgoing parliament could wave through a massive military spending boost.

The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second largest party in parliament after Sunday's election, said Germany's likely next chancellor would be held hostage by left-wing parties that would seek to loosen tough fiscal rules.