Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.

Provisional results confirmed that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany’s national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest. The campaign was dominated by worries about the yearslong stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy and pressure to curb migration,

The euro firmed on Monday after Germany's opposition conservatives won the national election as expected, while the dollar extended its decline on mounting worries over the growth outlook of the U.S.

German voters go to the polls Sunday to elect a parliament that will determine who runs the country for the next four years.

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.

Sunday’s election comes as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent. Polls across Germany will close at 6 p.m.