(250224) -- BERLIN, Feb. 24, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 24, 2025. Germany's conservative bloc, the CDU and the CSU, has taken the lead in the country's 2025 federal election, preliminary results have showed.
The election will determine the composition of the next Bundestag, or the lower house of the parliament.
While acknowledging the challenges of forming a government under current circumstances, Merz said he will strive for the goal of having a government in place by Easter. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu)
