Germany's election winner Friedrich Merz wants to form a government quickly in order to revive a moribund economy, hike defence spending and tackle diplomatic challenges ranging from a confrontational Trump administration to ending the Ukraine war.

Germany’s election continues a slump for left-leaning parties in affluent countries, often connected to immigration and the economy. Those two issues helped Trump win the presidency. In Canada, Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation. In much of the Europe, the far right has become more popular.

Friedrich Merz, a conservative rival of Angela Merkel, is on track to become the next chancellor, though the far-right AfD is expected to make historic gains.

Provisional results confirmed that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election​, while far-right party AfD surged to become the nation's second-largest.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), says the election results are "bitter" for his party, calling it a "defeat". As a reminder, the exit polls showed the SPD coming in third, with 16-16.5% of the vote.

Germany's far-right party the AfD finished second in the country's parliamentary elections and are hailing the outcome as a ‘historic result.'