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.

Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in Germany’s national election on Sunday after exit polls showed his bloc in the lead.

Polls are open across Germany as the world’s third largest economy chooses a new leader to guide it through an era of febrile immigration debates and souring relations with Washington.