New Delhi: Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union of Germany-Christian Social Union in Bavaria conservative alliance has won the general election in Germany with 28.6% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by Germany's federal electoral body.

Reuters has reported that it could take weeks for the likely chancellor to emerge as coalition talks have been messy. Merz has said he won't work with the party who comes in second place and has vowed to give Europe "real independence" from the US.

This party just happens to be the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has secured 20.8% of the vote, which DW reports 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 at third place. This is their worst show in decades.

The SPD's junior coalition partner, the environmentalist Greens, won 11.6%.

The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) netted only 4.3%, meaning that it will not enter the Bundestag as it did not pass the 5% threshold for representation in parliament. The same goes for the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which got 4.97%.

The socialist Left Party got 8.8% votes.

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