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

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

Exit polls show the center-right Christian Democratic Union party leading, with the AfD party heading towards the strongest showing of the far-right since World War II.

With 28.6% of the vote, the CDU/CSU came out on top, ahead of the AfD, with 20.8% of the vote. CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who has ruled out any alliance with the far right, will likely be able to avoid having to form a three-party coalition.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives have won a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday, projections show.

German voters are choosing their new government in an election dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy, pressure to curb migration and growing uncertainty over

The success of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is a sign of the times. Across Europe, far-right parties once on the fringe have gone mainstream.