Alternative for Germany appears to be headed for the strongest showing by a far-right party since World War II in Sunday's national election.

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, which is shunned by other parties, looks set to become the main opposition force in the parliament.

The margin of error for individual polls is estimated from the poll’s sample size and the number of eligible German voters reported by the German Federal Statistical Office.

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.

Polls are open across Germany as the world’s third largest economy chooses a new leader to guide it through an era of febrile immigration debates and souring relations with Washington.