Friedrich Merz has succeeded in his bid to become the next German chancellor during a second vote in parliament, hours after he suffered a historic defeat in the first round.

His countrymen, he declares, will have to ‘engage’ with the AfD, ‘factually and on substance.’

Germany's conservative leader Friedrich Merz won on Tuesday a nail-biter second vote in parliament to become chancellor after he lost the first round in a stunning early setback.