Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU alliance has won Sunday’s German Bundestag (parliament) elections, as expected, according to preliminary official data.

The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party came in second, achieving its best result in history.

And Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) came in third—its worst result ever.

The center-right CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union) alliance won 28.6% of the vote, according to preliminary data from the German federal election commission.

Until now, sociologists had predicted a clear victory for the CDU/CSU, and then the exit polls have confirmed it, and Merz announced his alliance's victory on Sunday evening.

"We will celebrate tonight, and start working tomorrow," Merz told his friends in Berlin.