Conservatives win German election while far-right AfD surges to strongest postwar election result

The latest national election in Germany has seen the conservative CDU/CSU alliance led by Friedrich Merz securing the most votes with 28.9 percent of the vote, according to updated exit polls. This result makes Merz a strong contender to become the next Chancellor of Germany. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has secured its highest-ever showing since World War II, taking second place with approximately 19.7 percent of the vote. This surge by the AfD is expected to complicate the formation of a government, given its strong anti-immigration stance. In contrast, the incumbent Chancellor Scholz of the governing SPD has acknowledged a "bitter" defeat.