German conservatives lead elections as AfD rises to second place

Friedrich Merz is set to become Germany's next chancellor after his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party won 29% of the vote in recent elections. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party surged to 19.5%, marking a historic rise. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, fell to third place with 16%, its worst result ever. This shift follows a campaign focused on migration and security issues, influenced by recent terror attacks linked to asylum seekers. Merz will begin coalition talks, likely excluding the AfD, as other parties view it as too extreme. He has pledged to address migration and may adopt a more assertive stance on Ukraine, differing from Scholz's approach.