The Conservatives won, the far right came second and now attention will turn to forming a coalition.

At the same time, today's election results saw the bitter defeat of outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz's party and the resignation of the man responsible for the snap elections. His FDP party failed to get into parliament.

We're now pausing our live coverage of the German federal elections, but fear not, there's plenty to read.

Read our news story with a detailed account of what just happened, and our Berlin correspondent's assessment of the challenges ahead for Friedrich Merz.

Thanks for joining us.

Friedrich Merz's conservatives have won the German election with 28.6%.

Counting of votes has been finished and the results confirm that Alternative for Germany (AfD) is second, the Social Democrats (SPD) third and Greens fourth.

Two smaller parties which came close to reaching the 5% threshold have failed to get into parliament. For hours, it was thought that the left-populist BSW might scrape in.

Because there are only five parties in parliament that gives Friedrich Merz a better chance of forming a coalition with one other party, most likely to be the Social Democrats (SPD).

Image source, Reuters

It's late at night in Germany now, and here's the latest state of play:

• The conservative CDU/CSU party has won the German election, and its leader, Friedrich Merz, is expected to be the next chancellor, projections show
• Merz told his party: "Tonight we will be celebrating and as of tomorrow, we will be resuming our work"
• He hopes to form a government by Easter - an ambitious timeline, political observers say
• The far-right AfD party is second, according to projections. Its leader Alice Weidel claimed it was a "historic result" as the party has made enormous gains since the 2021 election
• Friedrich Merz has ruled out working with the AfD
• Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the election result as "bitter" after his party, the Social Democrats (SPD) was projected to come in third
• He told supporters in Berlin that "we are fighting for democracy" and will "never accept" the "good election result" AfD has received tonight

Image source, Reuters

More older people voted in today's election, according to political scientist, Nicolai von Ondarza from the Europe Programme at think tank Chatham House.

He says the AfD "gained in the youth vote, but the big winner there was Die Linke [The Left]", adding that the AfD gained the most from "mobilising non-voters as well as the centre-right".

The results also show "how unhappy Germans were with what was on offer," Mr Von Ondarza adds.

Image source, EPA

During a TV debate earlier, Friedrich Merz said he believed that Europe must boost its own defence capabilities as tension grows with the US over Ukraine and Nato funding.

Merz said he had "no illusions at all about what is coming out of America", in reference to Donald Trump's administration.

"I am very curious to see what will happen between now and the Nato summit at the end of June," he said.

But he added that it was questionable "whether we will still be talking about Nato in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly".

Image source, Getty Images

More messages are coming in from European leaders.

"I look forward to working with the new government to deepen our already strong relationship, enhance our joint security and deliver growth for both our countries," UK PM Sir Keir Starmer posted on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Merz on his party's win, saying he looked forward to working together for a "strong and sovereign Europe".

"In this period of uncertainty, we are united to face the great challenges of the world and of our continent," he posted on X.

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis posted: "A decisive victory for our political family, for Germany, and for Europe."

Image source, EPA

About 27% of first-time voters cast ballots for Die Linke (The Left), according to German media outlet Die Zeit.

It says the party's co-leader Heidi Reichinnek became an icon for many young left-leaning voters during the election campaign. She told the BBC earlier today that she used TikTok to reach young people.

Die Zeit reports that about 21% of young voters put AfD on their ballots, and 12% for CDU/CSU - which, compared with the 2021 election, was an increase of 2% for the CDU/CSU and a 14% rise for AfD.

"It is interesting that many young AfD voters do not see themselves as extreme right-wing, but as conservative centre," says the German media outlet's youth researcher Simon Schnetzer.

Merz wants Germany to lead on the European and world stagepublished at 23:18 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February

23:18 GMT 23 February

Katya Adler
BBC Europe editor in Berlin

Image source, EPA

Friedrich Merz is somebody who says Germany belongs back on the European and world stage.

Europe, when it looks out there, sees a really unstable world, a frightening world, normally able to rely on its greatest ally the United States, but no longer can with Donald Trump back in the White House.

Merz has pointed to the two other big European leaders - France's Emmanuel Macron and the UK's Keir Starmer. They are heading to Washington this week and Merz says, by right, Germany should be there.

So, he's in a hurry.

As long as Merz is trying to build this coalition, Germany will be distracted and he wants it back doing business for Germany and for the rest of Europe.

Merz wants to work with the UK, France and the European allies. It's not Germany for Germany - that was the slogan of the AfD party - this is Germany for Europe in Europe.

The CDU foreign affairs spokesman has been speaking to BBC's Newshour.

Jurgen Hardt said that putting together a coalition might prove "very difficult" because they won't work with the AfD, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) could drop out of parliament altogether.

"A coalition between Social Democrats, Greens, and CDU might be very difficult in some fields - not in foreign and security policy, but in other fields," he said.

The AfD's deputy parliamentary leader Beatrix Von Storch said the new government will not be able to deliver what the people voted for.

"This is what the CDU was campaigning on, they promised to make our borders safe," she says.

A coalition including the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens is "going to be impossible", she said.

"They can't deliver what they promised in the whole campaign and so people will get desperate. I think the new upcoming government will not last for four years, I think it's very unlikely that that happens - and then we will have a re-election in one or two years."

Image source, Reuters

We're now getting some reaction from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He starts by congratulating the CDU and its leader, Friedrich Merz, on his projected election victory in a post on X, external.

Zelensky says he looks forward to "continuing our joint work with Germany to protect lives" and "bring real peace closer to Ukraine" - referring to Germany's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

"Europe must be able to defend itself, develop its industries, and achieve the necessary results," he says.

"Europe needs shared successes, and those success will bring even greater unity to Europe."

For context:Germany, after the US, has been the biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine and most political parties in Germany are in favour of continuing to support Kyiv. But the AfD instead wants a rapprochement with Russia, to immediately stop sending weapons to Ukraine, and to use resources instead to build up Germany's armed forces for protection at home.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Berlin

Image source, EPA

It was Christian Lindner's refusal to compromise on loosening Germany's debt rules that finally triggered the collapse of the three-party government late last year.

He was also bringing an end to his own career in politics, because his economic liberal party, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), has fared so badly in today's election that it looks like it's heading out of parliament, falling below the 5% of the vote required.

In a post on social media, Lindner said the election had brought defeat for the FDP but hopefully a new beginning for Germany. And after 25 years in politics it was time for him to go.

Earlier this evening, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described his party's "bitter" defeat in the election.

The conservative CDU party is set to be the largest in the next parliament with 28.5% of the vote, projections show.

Scholz's Social Democratic Party is heading for a historically low result with just 16% of the vote, according to the first projection from German public broadcaster ARD.

Speaking to SPD's supporters, Scholz urged the country move forward together.

• As a reminder:Scholz lost a vote of confidence in parliament in December, about two months after the collapse of his three-party coalition government. He calculated that triggering an early election was his best chance of reviving his party's political fortunes, but the SPD has not enjoyed much success today.

Mark Rutte, Dutch politician and Nato secretary general, says on X, external he's "looking forward" to working with Friedrich Merz, adding that it's "vital" Europe steps up on defence spending "and your leadership will be key".

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has congratulated Merz, saying that "in uncertain times we need a strong Europe and a strong Germany"., external

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X , externalthat he's "looking forward to working closely with your upcoming government to further strengthen the partnership between our two countries".

US President Donald Trump says on Truth Social, external that it "looks like the conservative party in Germany has won", describing it as a "great day for Germany" and adding that he thinks "the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda".

Merz has few choices for government - AfD isn't one of thempublished at 21:46 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February

21:46 GMT 23 February

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Berlin

Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now on course to win 20.5% of the vote, according to latest projections - but there is no way Friedrich Merz will work with it because of a long-standing political taboo against working with the far right, known as a Brandmauer - a firewall.

Merz said tonight that Alice Weidel's AfD didn't actually want to solve Germany's problems - "they're happy if the problems get worse and worse".

So who can he work with? The Social Democrats are the obvious choice although they'd have to find tough compromises on the economy and migration.

But if he needs the Greens, he'll have to overcome a lot of animosity between the two parties. Merz has spent the past few weeks criticising Greens leader Robert Habeck, and Markus Söder, the head of the Christian Democrats' sister party in Bavaria, had until this point ruled out any kind of deal.

Söder's still not keen, but he's left the door open, saying he doesn't want to tell Merz what to do, while adding that "a government without the Greens would be a better government".

The CDU has won this election, but these latest projections from both big public broadcasters indicate that it's fallen short of the 30% it was expected to achieve.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) however now looks on course to break that 20% barrier - 10 points higher than it achieved only four years ago.

The big difference between the two projections from the public broadcasters is that ZDF suggests one of the smaller parties, the left-populist BSW, will squeak into parliament with 5% of the vote. That is yet to be confirmed.

Stick with us as we bring further developments and analysis.

Germany needs a new government fast, but it may have to waitpublished at 21:24 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February

21:24 GMT 23 February

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Berlin

Image source, EPA-EFE

Friedrich Merz says he wants to form a government by Easter, in other words over a period of about eight weeks. That might sound like a long time, but coalition-building takes time, and could take far longer than that.

The task, and he says he's up for it, is to get a working majority of 316 seats in the 630-seat parliament. We won't know how many seats the conservatives have until we find out if the small left-populist BSW party gets in. If it does squeeze in, Merz will need to find two other parties and the job gets even harder.

It took the outgoing government more than two months to sign a deal in 2021, and that was considered fast. But if Merz needs to find common ground with the Greens as well as the Social Democrats, then it could go well beyond Easter.

Peter Altmaier, a former German economic minister, tells the BBC News Channel that he thinks Germany needs a government that is "capable to act" and "capable to take a strong position together with allies".

On the AfD, Altmaier says the far-right's success tonight has "shocked" him. "Millions" of Germans have been concerned about "large scale" illegal migration, he says, adding that it is an issue that both the European Union and outgoing German government have not fixed.

"I think this is a matter of utmost concern for Friedrich Merz right now... If he cannot resolve this problem, I expect the extremist parties to grow further."

The conservative CDU-CSU party is predicted to be the largest in the next German parliament with 30% of the vote.

Friedrich Merz, who is now in pole position to become Germany's next chancellor, hailed a "terrific election campaign" and said there's no time to waste in forming a government.

As Jessica Parker reports, that's cause for celebration inside the party's headquarters in Berlin.

Kristina Volk
Reporting from CDU headquarters in Berlin

Maximilian is a 20-year-old CDU activist at the election party in the party's Berlin headquarters.

He says he's happy the CDU has won, but he's also "frightened by the prospect that Die Linke (The Left) has got 8% and the AfD doubled their vote".

When looking ahead to CDU leader Friedrich Merz becoming chancellor, he says "Merz is the perfect man to form a strong government", and he contrasts this to current chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Maximilian says people might not be so ecstatic here as they were expecting a result of 30%.

When asked what might've gone wrong, he blames a shift in narrative that was "led by the radical left who claimed that the CDU will collaborate with the AfD". He adds that this "manipulated young people".

He believes that the most important issues are migration, the economy and the war in Ukraine.

It's important for him that Merz is "decisive", and in regards to the Trump administration, "shows them the barriers".

Weidel the toast of Europe's far-rightpublished at 20:38 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February

20:38 GMT 23 February

Nick Beake
Reporting from AfD headquarters in Berlin

Exit polls invariably bring clear cut moments of triumph or despair.

Tonight, at the AfD headquarters the mood seemed, to me at least, somewhat restrained initially even as the prediction appeared on the big screen that it was on course to become Germany’s second biggest party.

Many here hoped they were riding the crest of a popular wave and the projection would have been even higher. But as the night has worn on and as serious dents have been made in the buffet and fizz on offer, party officials and supporters have become more buoyant.

They were boosted by the appearance of their candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, who told them Germany was being robbed of the chance to see a government featuring the policies of the AfD. She did a victory lap of supporters.

If their glasses were in danger of becoming empty, the far-right French politician Éric Zemmour suddenly popped up and presented her with a bottle of French champagne.

Tonight, Weidel is the toast of the far-right across Europe. For the centre, she is the face of a dangerous and divisive populism that’s on the march and gaining ground.