AfD set for strongest result ever while incumbent chancellor’s SPD on track for worst-ever outcome in fourth snap election in country’s history

Merz declared victory on Sunday afternoon after his Christian Democratic Union party was projected to win approximately 30% of the vote.

Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.

German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election , with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory and Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceding defeat. Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday, while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result.

German conservatives under likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to move quickly to try to form a coalition after winning the most votes in a national election that saw far-right and far-left parties gain support from disaffected voters.

Germany's center-right alliance appears set to win the country's latest federal election, which comes at a critical moment for Europe's largest economy. The latest exit polls show the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party,