Germany faces its second change of leader in fewer than four years after the head of the center-right opposition, Friedrich Merz, won Sunday's election, which saw a surge for a far-right party and a stinging defeat for outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
After the collapse of Scholz's three-party government in November, it's now up to Merz to restore stability to the European Union's most populous country and traditional political heavyweight, which also has the continent's biggest economy.
