Friedrich Merz is set to become the next chancellor of Germany after his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), won Sunday’s German election.

The CDU pulled a total of 28.6% of votes cast to beat Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, which came third with 16.4% of votes, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished second with 20.8% of votes.

Merz became leader of the CDU in 2021 and ran for elections under the slogan “A Germany we can be proud of again” and made a number of promises to voters, such as permanent border control and faster asylum rules to stop immigration, tax cuts, and a €50bn (£41bn) slash in welfare spending to revive the German economy. He also promised aid to Ukraine in the war against Russia.

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Following his victory, world leaders have sent in congratulatory messages, such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who hailed Merz’s win and said that “a stronger Europe requires us to work together to face common challenges.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Merz and noted that he looks “forward to working with the new government.”

The prime minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, wished Merz’s party “much strength and success in forming the federal government.”