German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has conceded defeat as the CDU/CSU secures victory in Germanys national election. The right-wing AfD made history by finishing second with 20.4% of the vote, marking its strongest national result ever.

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.

Germany's centre-right CDU/CSU bloc has won national elections by a large margin, with all constituencies counted, paving the way for leader Friedrich Merz to be the next chancellor, as could be seen on the website of the federal returning officer.

CDU/CSU secured 28.6 percent of the vote, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.8 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 16.4 percent, according to the preliminary results released by the Federal Returning Officer in the early hours of Monday.

Germany's election reshapes the political scene, with the far right and far left parties on the rise and coalition chaos and uncertainty for the minnows on the cards. Will CDU's Merz be able to form a coalition until Easter?

Germany's centre-right CDU/CSU bloc is on track for a clear victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections even as support for the far right surged, according to exit polls from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

CDU's Friedrich Merz has claimed victory while SPD's Olaf Scholz has regretted the "bitter" election result. The German electoral authority confirmed the CDU's win in preliminary results, followed by the far-right AfD.

With all results counted the Christian Democratic Union has claimed victory as smaller parties, including the left-conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Aliiance, barely missed the threshold to enter parliament.