German conservatives under Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to quickly form a government after winning a national election but face tricky coalition talks and the prospect of an obstructive parliament after far-right and far-left parties surged.

Germany's conservatives won the country's snap elections, but many in the party are disappointed at its overall showing. The SPD fared even worse, plummeting to the worst result in its modern history.

The Christian Democrats won with 28.6% of the vote while the far-right Alternative for Germany came second with 20.8%.