BERLIN—Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting has clinched a deal to form a new coalition, officials said on Wednesday. Now he must persuade Germans who have been deserting his party in droves since he won the election that he can fix the economy and get immigration under control.

Germany's conservative Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz unveiled his party's coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats at a press conference on Wednesday, vowing to "move the country

Conservatives and Social Democrats aim to boost defense spending, cut migration; Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, frozen out of new government, tops poll for first time