Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election.

Germany's Robert Habeck, who had run in Sunday's election as the chancellor candidate for the environmentalist Greens, said he would no longer take a leading role in his party after what he described as a disappointing result.

Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday, while the far-right Alternative for Germany came in second, its best ever result.

German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory and Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceding defeat. Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.