Polls will close at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. EST), and it will likely become clear in the ensuing hours which party has the highest share of votes. Determining who will lead as chancellor will take longer, as it first has to be determined which parties will control the Bundestag, and then the leader is chosen by its members.

Opinion polls have suggested a win in the German election Sunday for the opposition conservatives under Friedrich Merz, and a defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats. The far-right Alternative for Germany,