Germany's next leader, conservative Friedrich Merz, has raised the alarm over European defence but the clock is ticking for him to muster the funds needed to refurbish the armed forces.

Provisional results confirm that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest

Wall Street struggled for traction on Monday, ending mixed after slumping last week, while German election results buoyed German shares and Europe's single currency as investors waited for midweek results from artificial intelligence chip leader Nvidia.

Tuesday on the RealClearPolitics Podcast, Carl Cannon spoke with historian and Council on Foreign Relations fellow Liana Fix about the recent election results in Germany, where the mainstream conservative party led by Friedrich Merz captured the most votes and the further-right Alternative For Deutschland (AfD) party took second place.

- Election posters, showing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and CDU top candidate Friedrich Merz, stand on a meadow in Nieder-Erlenbach near Frankfurt, Germany, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael

Election winner Friedrich Merz on Tuesday ruled out a quick reform to Germany's state borrowing limits known as the "debt brake" and said it was too soon to say whether the outgoing parliament could wave through a massive military spending boost.

Germany's likely next chancellor, a conservative, Friedrich Merz warned Europe should seek "independence" from the US as it grapples with the Trump administration's lack of support for Ukraine. France's Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron made very clear he believes Putin was "the aggressor" in Ukraine.

Merz prioritizes Ukraine and US, vows to tackle migration and economy after German election win BERLIN (AP) — Provisional results confirm that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election,

Friedrich Merz’s reluctance to reform the debt brake and flirtation with the far-right have come back to bite him.

Friedrich Merz has vowed to prioritize European unity and the continent's security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia's war on Ukraine​.