Far-right gains and a ‘sharper and edgier’ chancellor are among the takeaways from the country’s contest, an expert says.

Friedrich Merz is on course to become post-World War II Germany’s 10th chancellor, the culmination of a yearslong political career that was once sidelined by his party’s iconic leader

Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election

After an election dominated by immigration and economic issues, Germany’s likely new chancellor is Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democrats. His party finished first with just under 29 percent of the vote and will need to form a coalition government.