The conservative CDU/CSU party has won the parliamentary elections in Germany. The leader of the formation, Friedrich Merz, is the main candidate for chancellor. During the campaign, the future head of the German government expressed support for closing the borders.

Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc has won the national election and now faces coalition talks. Merz seemed keen to get to work right away, saying that "the world isn't waiting for us." Follow DW for the latest.

Germany's centre-right CDU/CSU bloc has won national elections by a large margin, with all constituencies counted, paving the way for leader Friedrich Merz to be the next chancellor, as could be seen on the website of the federal returning officer.

Germany’s centre-right CDU and CSU parties have won the federal elections with about 28.5 to 29 per cent of the vote according to exit polls, paving the way for CDU leader Friedrich Merz to become chancellor at a time of economic and political upheaval in Europe’s largest democracy.

CDU/CSU secured 28.6 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.8 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.4 percent, according to the preliminary results released by the Federal Returning Officer in the early hours of Monday.

The 69-year-old will be the oldest chancellor since Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of the new Federal Republic of Germany, who took office in 1949 at the age of 73

CDU's Friedrich Merz has claimed victory while SPD's Olaf Scholz has regretted the "bitter" election result. The German electoral authority confirmed the CDU's win in preliminary results, followed by the far-right AfD.

Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerging as the second-largest party, according to Feb. 23 exit polls.