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.

Tensions are running high in Germany's election on Sunday as demonstrators rallied against the far-right AfD's campaign efforts. This tense backdrop signals the stakes of an election centered on immigration,

Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz has cast his vote in the German election. Merz is the leader of the center-right Union bloc, which has by far the best chance of forming a new government.