German conservatives call for 'independence from Trump' after winning elections, as far-right AfD comes second
The leader of Germany's Conservative party has vowed to "strengthen Europe" in order to gain "independence" from the US, after his party won federal elections.
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Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), will form the next German government, with the far-right AfD becoming the second largest party. The centre-left Social Democrats, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, collapsed.
Merz will have to lead a coalition, as his party fell short of securing enough votes to govern on its own.
“Tonight we will celebrate and from tomorrow we start working,” Merz told party members in a first reaction in Berlin on Sunday.
“The world out there is not waiting for us and for lengthy negotiations," he added, saying he wants to start work on "creating a government capable of acting in Germany’s interest” soon.
Merz added: "My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the US.
"I never thought that I would ever need to say something like that, on television, but after the latest statements made by Donald Trump last week... this administration mostly don't care about the fate of Europe one way or another," the leader added.
The elections saw a record number of German citizens cast their votes.
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Voters came out in record numbers, with turnout around 83% - the highest since the German unification in 1990.
In a live TV debate with German party leaders, Merz reiterated his refusal to form a coalition with the hard-right AfD, while AfD leader Alice Weidel said her 'hands remain outstretched' to work together.
World leaders congratulated Merz on his victory, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
US President Donald Trump also joined in the congratulations, and called the result a "great day" for Germany.
It is also a historic result for Alice Weidel's AfD, who have won the largest share of votes for a far-right party since the Second World War
It also means current Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left SDP are on course for their worst result since the war.
There's also a number of smaller parties who are hoping to reach the threshold of 5% which is required to get into the German Parliament, and potentially form part of a ruling coalition.
Of these, the Green party and the Left have both met the threshold, with vote shares of around 12% and 9% respectively.
The election comes seven months ahead of schedule after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition in early November.
It took place against a backdrop of widespread protests which started on Saturday, pitting far-right supporters against anti-fascist activists.
Germany's electoral system rarely gives any party an absolute majority, meaning two or more parties will most likely form a coalition in the coming weeks.
Top campaign issues were the German economy, still Europe's largest but struggling, and irregular migration.
Mr Scholz lost a confidence vote on December 16 and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier ordered the parliament to be dissolved on December 27, saying a new election was the only way to give the country a stable government capable of tackling its problems.
It is only the fourth time that the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule after a confidence vote under Germany's post-Second World War constitution.