Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has opened talks with the Social Democrats over ways to quickly ramp up defense spending before they’ve completed a formal coalition deal, according to people familiar with those discussions.

Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz will start trying to form a coalition government on Monday after his conservative bloc won a national election that saw far-right and far-left parties hoover up support from disaffected voters.

German conservatives under likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to move quickly to try to form a coalition after winning the most votes in a national election that saw far-right and far-left parties gain support from disaffected voters.