Germany's incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said an 'absolute priority' for him will be to distance Europe from the U.S. following comments by President Donald Trump.

Friedrich Merz's CDU party emerged as the largest party in Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, earning 28.6% of the vote.

Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election.

An election win for Germany's conservatives has eased concerns of political gridlock in Europe's biggest economy, though it failed to lift uncertainty around whether a new government can deliver fiscal reforms that would boost sluggish growth.

Germany’s next chancellor is likely to be Friedrich Merz, a former corporate lawyer who has promised to crack down on migration, cut taxes and regulation and adopt a hawkish policy toward Russia. Merz leads a center-right alliance that finished first in yesterday’s election,

Provisional results confirmed that the mainstream conservative party led by Friedrich Merz has won Germany’s national election.