Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU conservative alliance has won the general election with 28.6% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by Germany’s federal electoral body. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured 20.8% of the vote, which is the party’s strongest result to date at the federal level. Outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats’ (SPD) share of the vote dropped to 16.4%, putting them […]