While the far right made historic gains in Germany’s pivotal federal elections on Sunday, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party ultimately thrived with Friedrich Merz securing nearly 29% of the vote and placing him in the top spot to lead the country.

President Donald Trump celebrated the success of the German conservative parties in an all-caps post on Truth Social following the historic election.

The results released by the electoral authority showed the conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats winning a combined majority of seats in the national legislature after small parties failed to make the electoral threshold.

Millions of Germans are deciding the next chancellor in snap elections Sunday with the center-right Christian Democratic Union party widely projected to win and its candidate Friedrich Merz installed as the top official.

Friedrich Merz is on course to become post-World War II Germany’s 10th chancellor, the culmination of a yearslong political career that was once sidelined by his party’s iconic leader

Berlin — Germany’s conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz won a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday, while Alternative for Germany nearly doubled its support, the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II, projections showed.

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.