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

Alternative for Germany appears to be headed for the strongest showing by a far-right party since World War II in Sunday’s national election and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country.

Alternative for Germany surged to the best showing by a far-right party since World War II in Sunday's national election and became the strongest political force in

A far-right party could hold the balance of power in Germany after sweeping to second place in a historic election. Exit polls, issued after voting ended, suggest AfD (Alternative for Germany) – a party under intelligence service surveillance as a suspected extremist organisation – has won around 20% of the vote.

For the first time since WWII, Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has secured second place in a national election, winning support from one in five voters. While other parties continue to block its path