Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in Germany’s national election on Sunday after exit polls showed his bloc in the lead.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz's conservatives were on course for a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday, while Alternative for Germany nearly doubled its support, the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II,

Millions of Germans are deciding the next chancellor in snap elections Sunday with the center-right Christian Democratic Union party widely projected to win and its candidate Friedrich Merz installed as the top official.

The German Conservative party has been elected, securing the largest part in the next German parliament. The party received nearly 30% of the vote. The Far-right party has come second. Co-founder and director of the Global Public Policy Institute Thorsten Benner discusses the details of the election with Mike Hosking.

Christian Democrats projected to win nearly 29% of votes, while Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats fall to a historic low of 16%, according to latest projections from public broadcaster ARD - Anadol

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.

The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.