Friedrich Merz is on course to become the post-World War II Germany's 10th chancellor, the culmination of a yearslong political career that was once sidelined by his party’s iconic leader. The 69-year-old head of the center-right Union bloc,

The Christian Democratic Union’s likely victory comes despite a strong showing by the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.

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.