Germany holds national election as coalition collapse reshapes political landscape

Germany is holding a national election today after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition collapsed last year. Four main candidates are competing: Scholz, conservative Friedrich Merz, Greens' Robert Habeck, and far-right Alice Weidel from the AfD party. Over 500,000 newly naturalized citizens are voting, marking a significant increase since the last election in 2021. Many of these voters come from war-torn countries and are participating in Germany's democratic process for the first time. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m. local time. Exit polls will be released after voting ends, with official results expected early Monday.