Friedrich Merz begins coalition talks after conservative victory in Germany election

Friedrich Merz, likely Germany's next chancellor, will begin coalition talks on Monday after his conservative bloc won a national election. The election saw significant gains for far-right and far-left parties, reflecting voter discontent. Merz's CDU/CSU bloc received 28.6% of the vote, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved a historic 20.8%. Mainstream parties have ruled out collaborating with the AfD, forcing Merz to negotiate with the Social Democrats. The coalition talks are expected to be lengthy, as Merz aims to strengthen Europe’s independence from the U.S. His party will not need support from the Greens for a majority, as a new leftist party fell short of the required vote threshold.