German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to her conservative party on Saturday to reach undecided voters as the clock ticked down to the election in which she is expected to secure a fourth term in office.
Speaking at a gathering of Christian Democrat (CDU) campaign volunteers in Berlin, Merkel said that the goal was to reach the large number of undecided voters who “make their decision in the final hours”.
According to polling data from three research institutes on Friday, the CDU has a commanding lead of between 34 and 35 per cent of the vote over its centre-left Social Democrat (SPD) rivals, which are polling at between 21 and 22 per cent.
It remains to be seen whether Merkel will continue her CDU’s current alliance with the SPD or choose to govern with one or more of Germany’s smaller centrist political parties.
The election will see the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) taking seats in the Bundestag parliament for the first time.
According to data released Friday, it is polling at between 11 and 13 per cent.
Polls open at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Sunday and first results are expected at 6 p.m.