German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory. Exit polls also indicate that Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

Exit polls project Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) garnered the biggest vote share in the country’s elections Sunday—and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to nab a historic number of votes after garnering the endorsement of billionaire Elon Musk.

Exit polls show the center-right Christian Democratic Union party leading, with the AfD party heading towards the strongest showing of the far-right since World War II.

Germany’s centre-right CDU and CSU parties have won the federal elections with about 28.5 to 29 per cent of the vote according to exit polls, paving the way for CDU leader Friedrich Merz to become chancellor at a time of economic and political upheaval in Europe’s largest democracy.

The vote comes at a pivotal time for Europe, which faces an increasingly assertive Trump administration.

The margin of error for individual polls is estimated from the poll’s sample size and the number of eligible German voters reported by the German Federal Statistical Office.

Millions of German voters headed to the polling stations earlier today to have a say on who will take a seat in the Bundestag.

The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.

Centre-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc emerged as the frontrunner in Germany’s national election on Sunday, though without a decisive victory, according to exit polls by ARD and ZDF public television.

Exit polls in Germany's national election Sunday show opposition leader Friedrich Merz's conservatives leading, with Alternative for Germany heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.