In a significant political shift, Germans voted for conservative leadership in recent parliamentary elections, indicating dissatisfaction with the previous left-leaning government's management of the economy and immigration. Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrats, is expected to become the next chancellor but will need coalition partners to govern effectively. His campaign emphasized promises to enhance economic growth through tax cuts, stringent immigration policies, and a revitalized foreign policy amid geopolitical uncertainties tied to the Trump administration's influence and traditional alliances in Europe.
Mr. Merz told supporters in Berlin on Sunday evening, promising to swiftly form a parliamentary majority to govern the country and restore strong German leadership in Europe.
The election... will now become an essential part of the European response to President Trump's new world order.
Mr. Merz, a businessman, was once seen as a potentially better partner for Mr. Trump, but in the campaign's final days he mused about whether the United States would remain a democracy under Mr. Trump.
He strongly condemned what Germans saw as meddling by Trump administration officials on behalf of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
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