Voters are heading to the polls in Germany, in an election which is being closely watched across Europe and in the United States. Polling stations opened their doors at 8am local time (7am UK), with exit polls released and counting set to begin as soon as voting closes at 6pm (5pm UK).

In Germany's crucial election, Friedrich Merz’s centre-right CDU leads, with far-right AfD set for its best postwar result. Economic stagnation, migration policies, and European security are top issues,

The country’s next chancellor will have to fix the economy, tackle an immigration crisis and help unite a continent facing geopolitical headwinds.