The German elections concluded with a victory for the CDU/CSU party, led by Friedrich Merz. Prior to the elections, he visited Kyiv and promised to deliver long-awaited missiles if he won. Now, the delivery of these missiles seems to be just a formality in the coming months.

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 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.

Millions of Germans are voting in snap elections. The centre-right CDU is predicted to win the biggest share of votes, putting its leader Friedrich Merz in pole position to be next chancellor. Follow live updates.

With Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU union coming on top of the election, coalition talks will come next. Merz seemed keen to get to work right away, saying that "the world isn't waiting for us." Follow DW f

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.

Friedrich Merz claims victory for CDU/CSU alliance as incumbent chancellor Scholz concedes defeat; Alternative für Deutschland almost doubles vote share to 20%