The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to become the second biggest force in the country, with a record 20.5% of the vote, according to projections Edited by Neha Gohil and Tiffany Wertheimer in London, with Paul Kirby in Berlin

Friedrich Merz sharply criticised US President Donald Trump’s chief confidante Elon Musk for meddling in the German election campaign

In Germany, we receive the Ifo index for February. It will be interesting to see if it mirrors the PMI data on Friday, which saw a marginal uptick in the composite measure - mainly attributed to an increase in the weak manufacturing sector.

A vast majority of 2024 races for Congress and state legislatures were decided by low-turnout or meaningless primaries. The trend is making politics more polarized and eroding public trust.

A Washington election observer has been charged with a felony after refusing to wear a mask during the November presidential vote count. Timothy Hazelo, a Republican from Oak Harbor, was charged last week with unauthorized access to a voting center over a dispute that started when he refused to don a mask while monitoring ballot-counters.

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz won a lackluster victory, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded his center-left Social Democrat party’s worst postwar defeat.

Trump hailed the result as a "GREAT DAY FOR GERMANY," while the far-right AfD party that Elon Musk has championed made historic gains.

Asia Market Update: EU-area gains on DE election, Ukraine peace chances and weak US data on Fri; Apple shocks with kowtow to UK govt.