Friedrich Merz is poised to become Germany's next chancellor. There's no new government in Germany quite yet, but after Sunday's election, it's all but certain that Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democratic Union will be the next chancellor.

Germany’s Friedrich Merz takes swipe at Trump and calls for ‘independence from the USA’ - Germany’s likely next chancellor has also questioned whether NATO will continue to exist

Friedrich Merz, a former banker who has never been a government minister, appears almost certain to be the next chancellor of Germany after his conservative CDU/CSU alliance won the most votes in Sunday’s crucial federal election.