The conservatives’ expected victory comes despite a historically strong showing by the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.

Friedrich Merz, a man who has never held a government role, is preparing to take the reins in Germany just as the country faces its biggest economic and diplomatic crises in decades and Europe looks urgently for a new generation of leaders for an era of transatlantic tension.

Millions of Germans are deciding the next chancellor in snap elections Sunday with the center-right Christian Democratic Union party widely projected to win and its candidate Friedrich Merz installed as the top official.