This post was originally published on France24
Germany’s conservative opposition emerged victorious in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to exit polls, giving Friedrich Merz a significant win in his bid to succeed Social Democrat Olaf Scholz as the next leader of Europe’s largest economy. Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc secured first place with 28.5% of the vote, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20%, a record result for the party, as reported by the public broadcaster ZDF. Scholz’s centre-left SPD, on the other hand, received 16.5% of the vote, marking its worst-ever result, according to projections. France24 Correspondent Nick Holdsworth reports from CDU/CSU headquarters in Berlin.