Winner Friedrich Merz's conservatives need at least one coalition partner to govern and face potentially months of difficult negotiations before a stable government is likely to emerge.

German voters are heading to the polls Sunday for a national election. The race pits the incumbent chancellor against the opposition leader, the vice chancellor and — for the first time — a leader of a far-right party.

Friedrich Merz and his party won, Elon Musk didn’t seem to move voters, and more lessons from an early German vote with big implications for Europe.