While the far right made historic gains in Germany's elections on Sunday, Conservative politician Friedrich Merz won with nearly 29% of the vote.

Provisional results confirm that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest.

The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.