Conservatives win German election while far-right party surges to second place

Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party, smiles while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Provisional results confirmed 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.

The campaign was dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy and pressure to curb migration, something that caused friction after Mr Merz pushed hard in recent weeks for a tougher approach.