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

Here are five key takeaways. Look at an election results map of Germany, and you could almost have travelled back in time to the Cold War, when an iron curtain divided communist East Germany from the west.

The opposition conservative leader Friedrich Merz has emerged victorious in the German Federal Elections and the results will mark a significant shift in Germany's political landscape. According to estimates from public broadcaster ARD, Merz led CDU/CSU bloc has garnered 28.8% of the vote, followed by 20.2% for the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

After an election dominated by immigration and economic issues, Germany’s likely new chancellor is Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democrats. His party finished first with just under 29 percent of the vote and will need to form a coalition government.