Germany's election winner Friedrich Merz wants to form a government quickly in order to revive a moribund economy, hike defence spending and tackle diplomatic challenges ranging from a confrontational Trump administration to ending the Ukraine war.

Friedrich Merz and his party won, Elon Musk didn’t seem to move voters, and more lessons from an early German vote with big implications for Europe.

Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second on its best ever result,

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,

Friedrich Merz 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​.

By Kirsti Knolle and Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) -German conservatives under Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to quickly form a government after winning a national election but face tricky coalition talks and the prospect of an obstructive parliament after far-right and far-left parties surged.

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.