Polls opened in Germany Sunday in a general election expected to hand Chancellor Angela Merkel a fourth term, while the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is predicted to win its first seats in the national parliament.

Surveys suggest Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU alliance has a double digit lead over their nearest rivals, the Social Democrats. Four smaller parties, including the AfD, are battling it out for third place.

Polling stations will close at 1600 GMT.