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.

The results of Germany’s February 23 election have cemented a chilling trend that has increasingly characterized European politics in the 21st century: the collapse of social democracy and the subsequent resurgence of far right parties and movements,

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 conservative CDU/CSU party has won the parliamentary elections in Germany. The leader of the formation, Friedrich Merz, is the main candidate for chancellor. During the campaign, the future head of the German government expressed support for closing the borders.