Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.

Friedrich Merz, the presumptive chancellor of Germany, has confirmed he will seek a coalition with the social democratic SPD after the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won the February 23 election, topping the poll with 28.

Landau an der Isar, Kempten and Pfarrkirchen – these small towns may be unfamiliar to English, and indeed many German, ears. But they could determine the future migration policy of Europe. Who comes out top in a mere handful of constituencies in rural Bavaria in the German general election tomorrow will decide whether the next Berlin government will be serious about controlling immigration.