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

Friedrich Merz from the CDU/CSU likely to form new government with battered Social Democrats while pro-renewables Greens no longer needed

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives have won a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday, projections show.

CDU/CSU secured 28.6 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.8 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.4 percent, according to the preliminary results released by the Federal Returning Officer in the early hours of Monday.

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

European shares were largely unchanged on Monday, while Germany's benchmark index rose as investors greeted the widely expected victory of Friedrich Merz-led opposition conservatives at the national election.

Friedrich Merz's conservative party is the winner of the German general election, while current Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party experienced its worst result since the late 19th century.

Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.