Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday with 28.5% of the vote, putting leader Friedrich Merz on track to be the next chancellor while the far-right AFD - Alternative for Germany came in second with 20%, its best ever result, exit polls showed.

Current leader, Olaf Schulz's party suffers a humiliating defeat: only 16% according to the polls.

Merz, 69, has no previous government experience but has promised to provide greater leadership than Scholz and to liaise more with key allies, restoring Germany to the heart of Europe.

A brash economic liberal who has shifted the conservatives to the right, he is considered the antithesis of former conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years.

Short of a majority in an increasingly fragmented political landscape, however, his conservatives will have to sound out partners to form a coalition.