Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s conservative opposition, achieved a modest victory in the national election. The far-right AfD doubled its support, marking a historic showing.

The leader of the conservative Christian Democrats celebrated as exit polls indicated they had won Sunday’s election, which had the highest voter turnout in decades.

Hailing from Sauerland, a traditionally Catholic and socially conservative region in western Germany, Friedrich Merz has long embodied the values of pre-reunification West Germany—strong transatlantic ties,