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 confirmed 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.

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said Sunday that Europe must boost its own defence capabilities amid growing US-Europe tensions over Ukraine and NATO funding.