Germany’s CDU Wins Most Votes, Merz Likely Next Chancellor

Exit polls indicate that Germany’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union won the most votes in the general elections, with Friedrich Merz most likely to be the next chancellor. The party claimed 28.8-percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, which is not a majority, meaning a coalition government will need to be formed. The far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, with a record 20.2-percent of the vote, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democratic Party in third. Germany is Europe’s biggest economy and most populous state.