Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said Monday he would seek talks with the centre-left to speedily build a government as Europe faces tectonic changes in transatlantic ties. Merz,

The centre-right CDU's leader has committed himself to taking a more active role in the bloc in the midst of what he says is declining transatlantic interest in Europe. View on euronews

Germany's conservatives won the country's snap elections, but many in the party are disappointed at its overall showing. The SPD fared even worse, plummeting to the worst result in its modern history.

Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.

BERLIN (Reuters) -German conservatives under Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to quickly form a government after winning a national election but face tricky coalition talks and the prospect of an obstructive parliament after far-right and far-left parties surged.

BERLIN - German conservatives under Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to quickly form a government after winning a national election but face tricky coalition talks and the prospect of an obstructive parliament after far-right and far-left parties surged.

The Christian Democrats won with 28.6% of the vote while the far-right Alternative for Germany came second with 20.8%.

Friedrich Merz, the presumptive chancellor of Germany, has confirmed he will seek a coalition with the social democratic SPD after the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won the February 23 election, topping the poll with 28.

The conservative CDU/CSU party has won the parliamentary elections in Germany. The leader of the formation, Friedrich Merz, is the main candidate for chancellor. During the campaign, the future head of the German government expressed support for closing the borders.