Polling stations in Germany opened at 08:00 local time (09:00 Bulgarian time), with nearly 59.2 million Germans eligible to vote able to go to the polls to choose the composition of the 51st Bundestag in one of the most decisive parliamentary elections in the recent history of the Federal Republic.
The parliamentary vote was originally scheduled for September 28, 2025, but the sudden collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's triple coalition, which included the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), the "Greens" and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), forced early elections.
Europe's largest economy faces challenges on several fronts, including the energy crisis, problems with illegal immigration and a turnaround in relations between Europe and the new US government of President Donald Trump.
The opposition bloc Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) has the highest results in opinion polls, with conservative leader Friedrich Merz also the favorite to become Germany's new chancellor.
However, polls also indicate that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will come in second place, which will pose serious challenges for the main parties. The SPD is expected to remain the third largest party with 16% of the vote.
No party is expected to win an absolute majority and forming a coalition could prove to be a particularly difficult task.
The first exit polls will be published immediately after the end of election day at 18:00 local time (19:00 Bulgarian time).