The 69-year-old head of the centre-right Union bloc, which won the country's national election with 28.6 per cent of the votes, has by far the best chance of forming a new government.

Germany’s centre-right CDU and CSU parties have won the federal elections with about 28.5 to 29 per cent of the vote according to exit polls, paving the way for CDU leader Friedrich Merz to become chancellor at a time of economic and political upheaval in Europe’s largest democracy.