Germany's conservative chancellor-in-waiting has cast doubt on some of the commitments he had made to secure a coalition with the Social Democrats, hinting that his government might not deliver on promises of lower income tax cuts and minimum wage hikes.

The agreement was concluded relatively quickly but still took about six and half weeks, during which the country had been virtually rudderless at a critical moment for Europe.

Friedrich Merz and his conservative Christian Democratic Union must now persuade Germans that he can fix the economy and get immigration under control.