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.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Germany's Left party between them garnered the one third of seats in parliament needed to block changes to the constitution, including a loosening of the debt brake which restricts deficits to 0.

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