Polling stations in Germany opened at 8:00 for the parliamentary elections today.
They will remain open until 18:00, with the first exit polls expected immediately afterwards.
According to surveys, the conservative opposition party CDU/CSU, led by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, is projected to win around 30% of the vote, making it the largest party by a significant margin.
The far-right AfD is expected to become the second-largest party, securing approximately one-fifth of the vote, which would be a historic high for them.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz is likely to come third with around 15% of the votes, following the collapse of their coalition with the Greens and the liberal FDP late last year.
The FDP might not reach the 5% electoral threshold necessary to enter parliament.
Forming a government will not be straightforward, as none of the mainstream parties are willing to cooperate with the AfD.
