Exit polls show neck-and-neck race in Germany’s historic election

BERLIN (AA) - Exit polls in Germany show Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and its rival Social Democratic Party (SPD) are in a neck-and-neck race in the country’s historic election.

Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) were predicted to win 25% of the vote and an estimated 200 seats in the parliament, according to the early exit polls by the public broadcaster ARD.

Social Democrats were also seen winning 25% and a projected 197 seats in the Bundestag, according to the initial exit polls.

The environmentalist Greens have been predicted to make a historic breakthrough, winning 15% of the vote, becoming the third biggest political group in the parliament.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) were both on 11%. The anti-capitalist Left Party was estimated to win 5% of the vote.

Christian Democrats’ Armin Laschet and Social Democrats’ Olaf Scholz are frontrunners in the race to replace Angela Merkel as the country’s next chancellor, as she prepares to leave office after 16 years in power.

Germany's chancellor is elected indirectly, with voters choosing new parliament members, who then determine the new chancellor with a vote among themselves.

If the winning party secures a majority in parliament, or manages to build a coalition government with an absolute majority, its candidate usually becomes the country's next chancellor.