Conservative leader Friedrich Merz says he aiming to close a coalition agreement with the SPD in a "short time." Meanwhile, talks are ongoing on how to increase defense spending. DW has the latest.

He has vowed to prioritize European unity and the continent’s security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Monday insisted that the "responsibility" to lead negotiations on the formation of a new government lies with conservative leader Friedrich Merz. Lars Klingbeil,

Bavarian Premier Markus Söder exuded optimism when casting his ballot in Germany's early elections on Sunday, with his opposition conservative bloc having consistently polled in first place in the months leading up to the vote.

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.

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

This video can not be played CDU's Friedrich Merz thanks voters as he is greeted with cheers Edited by Neha Gohil and Tiffany Wertheimer in London, with Paul Kirby in Berlin Elections for the German Bundestag,

The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.

Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc won most votes in Sunday's national election and could form a government with the Social Democrats (SPD), allaying market fears that Europe's top economy can only be ruled by another three-way coalition.

Friedrich Merz is set to become the next Chancellor at a time of great tumult at home and abroad, writes John Kampfner.