The Sunday vote comes amid an economy in the doldrums, big questions over Europe's security posture, and a surging far-right.

An economic slump, an immigration crisis and the lifting of a security blanket provided for decades by the U.S. are issues on the minds of German voters. The far-right AfD is polling in second place.

Friedrich Merz is a familiar face of his conservative party's old guard. Politically, he has never come across as exhilarating. And yet his explosive bid to tighten migration rules with the support of far-right votes in parliament reveals a man willing to gamble by breaking a major taboo.

German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz expressed his shock at US President Donald Trump's statements on the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Friday, decrying Trump's sudden verbal attacks on Ukraine's leadership.

It was the third suspected terror attack in Germany in as many months. More than two dozen were injured. A woman originally from Algeria, who had worked for the German government, and her two-year-old child were killed.

Concern is growing over the far-right Alternative for Germany party’s rise ahead of the German election. Its U.S. supporters include Elon Musk and JD Vance.