German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union party leader Friedrich Merz celebrates with Bavarian state premier and leader of the Christian Social Union Markus Soeder after exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2025.    Germany’s opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second on its best-ever result, projected results showed. Following a campaign roiled by a series of violent attacks, and interventions by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, the conservative CDU/CSU bloc won 28.7% of the vote, followed by the AfD with 19.8%, the projection published by ZDF public broadcaster showed.    🔗 Read the latest news at the link in bio. 📷 Kai_Pfaffenbach #germany #politics #vote #election #cdu #reuters #reutersphotos