The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second largest party in parliament after Sunday's election, said Germany's likely next chancellor would be held hostage by left-wing parties that would seek to loosen tough fiscal rules.

Germany's mainstream conservatives won the country's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the nation’s second-largest party, according to provisional results following Sunday’s election.

Germany is set for a shift to the right after the conservative CDU/CSU bloc secured a clear victory in Sunday's elections, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) recorded its best-ever performance.