Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.

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

German conservatives under likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to move quickly to try to form a coalition after winning the most votes in a national election that saw far-right and far-left parties gain support from disaffected voters.

Germany’s economy is stalled and its politics fractured. But it sees an opening for a new chancellor to lead Europe’s response to a changing America.

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

Landau an der Isar, Kempten and Pfarrkirchen – these small towns may be unfamiliar to English, and indeed many German, ears. But they could determine the future migration policy of Europe. Who comes out top in a mere handful of constituencies in rural Bavaria in the German general election tomorrow will decide whether the next Berlin government will be serious about controlling immigration.

CDU/CSU wins German election as Merz pushes for a stronger Europe and rejects Trump’s NATO stance.