German conservatives lead federal election with 29% of votes as Social Democrats face historic low

Germany's conservative leader Friedrich Merz is projected to win the federal election with 29% of the votes, surpassing the far-right AfD at 19.5% and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats at 16%. This marks the Social Democrats' worst result since World War II. Merz's CDU/CSU bloc will need coalition partners to secure a majority in parliament. Possible alliances include the SPD or the Greens, which could lead to a complex three-party coalition. Chancellor Scholz's previous coalition ended in November due to internal conflicts. He will remain in a caretaker role until a new government is formed, which may take weeks or months.