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 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.

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.