Conservatives win German vote as far-right makes record gains

Germany's conservatives swept to victory in Sunday's elections, with their leader Friedrich Merz set to become the next chancellor, followed by the far-right AfD in second place after record gains. Merz urged the speedy formation of a new coalition government.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) almost doubled its score to over 20 percent, boosted by fears over immigration and security after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on asylum seekers. Merz's CDU/CSU alliance won more than 28 percent, according to projections, crushing the Social Democrats (SPD) of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which were looking at a historic low of 16 percent.