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German election polls latest LIVE: Angela Merkel and AfD push for victory in final hour
THE German election race will be resolved tonight with Angela Merkel and Martin Schultz committed to take on the AfD in the polls. Here are live updates and the latest polls for the final hours of the German election. Angela Merkel is on track to secure a minority victory over her rivalsThe far-right, anti-immigrant AfD is posed to form the oppositionAngela Merkel and Martin Schulz will likely form a ‘grand coalition’Election polls close at 6pm German time (5pmBST)The latest election polls from Germany show that Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) are in the strong lead ahead of Martin Schulz's Social Democrats (SPD). The polls also suggest that incumbent Chancellor will be forced to strike a coalition deal with the SPD, or a potential three-way alliance between the CDU/CSU, Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP).One party to look out for, is the controversial AdF which has grown in support in the run up to the election.Here are all the latest live updates, polls and campaign news as Germany elects its next government in the federal election. (All times BST) 4.30pm: Exit polls out in just 30 minutesThe first round of exit polls are expected to be released in just 30 minutes.The final ballot count will not be out until 2am, but the exit polls are known to be extremely reliable in the German elections.By 5.30pm, a mix of exit polls and preliminary ballot counts should give a clearer picture of the results. FIND OUT HOW TO WATCH THE ELECTION RESULTS LIVE ONLINE4.20pm: AfD could be in a position of power if it enters the BundestagMelinda Crane, the chief political correspondent at DW, explained how the AfD ganging parliamentary seats would put it in a position of power.“One of the things we’re going to be watching is not only the percentage of seats, but also will the AfD then come in as a strong third party, because that means potentially if the two main parties – the SPD, the Social Democrats and the CDU and Angela Merkel’s Conservatives – were once again o govern in a grand coalition, the AfD would become the leader of the opposition.“That carries a number of perquisites, including for example the right for open debate in the Bundestag when it’s about the budget.“That is a powerful position and it will be a powerful platform for discourse that may trouble many German citizens.“As you know, we’ve seen the threshold on what is acceptable political discourse here in Germany.” 4.15pm: Latest opinion polls with 45 minutes before polls closeThe are the latest opinion polls collected by Infratest dime:CDU/CSU – 37 per centSPD – 20 per centGreens – 7.5 per centFDP – 9.5 per centLeft Party – 9.0 per centAfD – 12.0 per centOthers – 5.0 per cent4pm: Election turn out slips with one hour to goA Federal Returning Officer confirmed today that by 1pm, only 41.4 per cent of the electorate cast their election ballot."It has perhaps never been as clear that the elections are about the future of democracy and Europe," the Officer wrote in newspaper Bild am Sonntag."If you don't vote, others decide."More than 60 million Germans are eligible to vote in the federal elections.The largest group of voters is older and born in Germany to German parents, predominantly in the range of 70 and older – 20.7 per cent of the electorate according to theFederal Office of Statistics.About 10.4 per cent of the voters are estimated to have a “migrant background” and 51.5 per cent of German voters are women. 3.55pm: High election turnout could ‘benefit’ right-wing AfD, claims expertChristian Odendahl tweeted: “As elsewhere, I think this time around the relatively high turnout will benefit the populists in Germany.”3.50pm: Angela Merkel casts her voteThe German Chancellor cast her ballot at a polling station in a school in Berlin's Mitte district. in a bod to secure her fourth term in office.Markus Putzel, an election volunteer at the Berlin polling station told CNN that the turnout is “quite high” there.It's a bit like the German Bundesliga," he said. "You know that Bayern Munich will always be the champion, but it is exciting to see who will come second."3.30pm: Angela Merkel still in the lead with two hours to goA number of polls show that Mrs Merkel’s CDU/CSU is still in the lead for victory.A Pollytix election aggregator predicts that the Conservative’s will secure 36.1 per cent of the vote. based on the average of 21 different pollsters.The SPD are in second place with 22.2 per cent of the vote, and the AfD are looking to score 10.6 per cent of the vote. 3pm: ‘Dull election will change nothing’ claims expertSimon Tilford, deputy director of the Centre of European Reform has not been impressed by the German election so far.He tweeted: “For an election this dull and unlikely to change anyt
