Friedrich Merz has vowed to prioritize European unity and the continent's security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia's war on Ukraine​.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats, who finished first in Sunday’s election, has vowed “real independence from the USA” as he sets about

Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday, while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result.

Merz declared victory on Sunday afternoon after his Christian Democratic Union party was projected to win approximately 30% of the vote.

Provisional results confirm that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest

Friedrich Merz is set to become Germany’s next chancellor after his centre-Right Christian Democratic Union [CDU] party won the election on Sunday night.

Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc won most votes in Sunday's national election and could form a government with the Social Democrats (SPD), allaying market fears that Europe's top economy can only be ruled by another three-way coalition.

Friedrich Merz — the leader of the victorious Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union alliance — is a U.S.-loving former lawyer but he may clash with President Donald Trump, as Merz is a fierce defender of Europe and NATO.

U.S. President Donald Trump hailed Sunday as a "great day for Germany" after an election in which the centre-right opposition won first place followed by the far-right AfD with its strongest result ever.

While the far right made historic gains in Germany’s pivotal federal elections on Sunday, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party ultimately thrived with Friedrich Merz securing nearly 29% of the vote and placing him in the top spot to lead the country.