Initial exit polls in the German Federal Election have suggested the winner of the election is too close to call.
An exit poll by Infrastet dimap/ARD has put the Social Democratic Party’s vote share at 25%, while the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union bloc is also at 25%. According to the poll, the Greens have picked up 15% of the vote share, while both the AfD (far-right Alternative for Germany party) and FDP (Free Democrats party) have 11% vote share.
A second exit poll by ZDF/Forschungsgruppe Wahlen has suggested the CDU/CSU have a slight lead by one percentage point of the vote share.
The first official results from the election are expected to be announced this evening, with results continuing to be announced on Monday.
The election is to elect members of the 20th Bundestag (Germany’s federal parliament). The outcome of the election will also determine who replaces Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany, with Merkel stepping down after serving in the role since 2005.
The last German Federal Election in 2017 saw the CDU/CSU bloc win with 32.9% of the vote share, compared to the 20.5% won by the SPD.
The expected tight result in this election means the resulting coalition is uncertain. A coalition between the SPD and CDU/CSU bloc could continue, as has ruled Germany since 2013, or the parties could seek to form an alternative government.
While Merkel is set to step down soon, she will remain in office as Chancellor in a caretaker capacity for potentially weeks or months while talks conclude to decide on the makeup of the new Government.
