Conservatives win German election but far-right AfD doubles support

Results show CDU/CSU will be largest party but success of Alternative fur Deutschland likely to complicate formation of a government

The conservative opposition has won the most votes in Germany's general election, but a dramatic surge by the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) is likely to complicate the formation of a government to help spearhead a European response to growing global threats.

The CDU/CSU candidate, Friedrich Merz, was preparing on Sunday night to try to form a ruling coalition after clinching almost 29% of the vote from a high turnout.