Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election.

The far-right had its strongest showing since World War II, while the center-left Social Democrats had their worst postwar result.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the centre-Right Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), has emerged as the winner of Germany’s elections.

Germany's mainstream conservatives have won the country's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the country's second-largest party.

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.

Germany’s conservative CDU party has won the election, securing Friedrich Merz as the next chancellor. However, right behind them, the far-right AfD has surged to second place, capturing more than 20% of the vote—doubling its support compared to the previous election.