In December, the German parliament accepted Chancellor Olaf Scholz's invitation to withdraw its confidence in him and his government. It cleared the way for an early election.

The contenders in Germany's election made their final appeals to voters Saturday, with opposition leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz vowing to revive the stagnant economy and defend Europe's interests in the face of a confrontational U.

The German election campaign draws to a close on Saturday with parties hoping to attract undecided voters in a flurry of final events, as conservative leader Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc remains far ahead in the polls.

Opinion polls have suggested a win in the German election Sunday for the opposition conservatives under Friedrich Merz, and a defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats. The far-right Alternative for Germany,

Germans vote in a national election on Sunday which is expected to see Friedrich Merz's conservatives regain power and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) score its best ever result as Europe's ailing economic powerhouse lurches rightwards.

From immigration and Germany's ailing economy to cannabis and gender politics, here is a round-up of the burning issues on voters' minds in the run-up to Sunday's election.