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.

Germany’s centre-right leader Friedrich Merz won federal elections on Sunday, clearing his path to become Chancellor at a time of economic and political upheaval for Europe’s biggest democracy. Merz’s CDU/CSU secured around 29 per cent of the vote,

Exit polls suggest that Friedrich Merz, the candidate for the conservative Christian Democrats who has vowed to bring stronger leadership in Europe, will be Germany’s next leader. The hard-right AfD party was in second place.

The far-right AfD and the Left jointly secured the one third of seats needed to block constitutional changes. Both oppose military aid to Ukraine.

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.

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 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.