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.

Provisional results in Germany’s election confirm that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest.

Exit polls show the center-right Christian Democratic Union party leading, with the AfD party heading towards the strongest showing of the far-right since World War II.

The country's far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), saw a historic jump in support, winning 20.8% of the vote. "Next time we'll come first," AfD party leader Alice Weidel vowed.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now on course to win 20.5% of the vote, according to latest projections - but there is no way Friedrich Merz will work with it because of a long-standing political taboo against working with the far right, known as a Brandmauer - a firewall.

Whether he can form a strong coalition remains to be seen, but whatever he does will be an essential part of Europe’s response to President Trump’s reshuffling of alliances.

Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday, while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result.

Germany’s conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz said he’ll move quickly to form a new government after he won Sunday’s federal election with a result that will require him to form a coalition.

The euro opened higher in Asian trade on Monday as Germany's conservatives won its election as expected, with investors awaiting further results to see whether much-needed fiscal reform was likely.