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

UPDATES WITH LATEST POLLING DATA, ADDS COMMENTS BY PARTY LEADERS, REVISES DECK

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

Social Democrats were seen winning 25.5% and a projected 202 seats in the Bundestag, according to the latest polling data that also included first results from the mail ballots, according to a projection by the public broadcaster ARD.

Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) were predicted to win 24.5% of the vote and an estimated 197 seats in the parliament, according to the latest polling data that also included first results from the mail ballots.

Chancellor candidates of both parties announced on Sunday night their claim to lead the country’s next coalition government, although the results were still unclear.

Christian Democrats’ leader Armin Laschet told supporters at the party’s headquarters in Berlin that they are ready to engage in coalition talks with other parties, but underlined that the new government must be led by the Christian Democrats.

His rival Olaf Scholz on the other hand stressed that Social Democrats has significantly increased their vote in this election, and they should lead the new coalition government.

“Many citizens want a change in the government, and they want to see Olaf Scholz as the next chancellor,” he said.

Exit polls showed that the environmentalist Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) have increased their share of the vote and will play a decisive role in the formation of the country’s next coalition government.

The Greens achieved a historic breakthrough, winning 13.8% of the vote, becoming the third biggest political group in the parliament. The FDP also managed to increase its vote compared to previous elections in 2017, and was predicted to win 11.7%.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) performed worse than that in 2017, and projected to win 10.9%.

The anti-capitalist Left Party is expected to barely pass the 5% threshold to enter the parliament, according to the latest projections.

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.

After 16 years in power, Chancellor Angela Merkel is quitting active politics, but she will remain in post until new government is formed.