Put simply, more than four in every five of Germany's 59.2 million voters turned out. It reflects just how energised Germans have been by this election, which comes at a pivotal moment for their country. There were nine TV debates in the final stretch of the campaign, but that reflected the broad interest of the audience.

Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second on its best ever result,

Friedrich Merz is set to become the next Chancellor at a time of great tumult at home and abroad, writes John Kampfner.