Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election

Germany’s economy is stalled and its politics fractured. But it sees an opening for a new chancellor to lead Europe’s response to a changing America.

German voters will head to the polls this weekend to elect new leadership, marking a decisive election that will help shape how Europe responds to the new Trump administration. Why it matters: As Europe's biggest economy and the largest member of the European Union,

Friedrich Merz, on course to become post-World War II Germany's 10th chancellor after the country's election, has vowed to prioritize European unity and the continent's security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia's war on Ukraine.

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.

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the election result a "decisive victory for our political family, for Germany and Europe." The European People's Party, the European Union's largest parliamentary group,