As an openly gay politician who lives with her Sri Lanka-born partner in Switzerland, Alice Weidel was an unusual choice to many to lead Germany's far-right and anti-immigration AfD into Sunday's elections.

With international politics in flux, three leading historians give their views on the most consequential election in a generation for Europe’s most powerful country.

Concern is growing over the far-right Alternative for Germany party’s rise ahead of the German election. Its U.S. supporters include Elon Musk and JD Vance.

Provisional results released on Monday confirmed that Friedrich Merz, leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, was likely to be the next chancellor. They also showed that the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, had surged to become the nation’s second-largest party.

The tweet from Elon Musk arrived a few days before Christmas, and it felt like a gift from heaven to Germany’s far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD). It consisted of six words: “Only the AfD can save Germany.

Alice Weidel, has vowed to "chase" the country's other parties if her party goes into opposition. The CDU/CSU centre-right bloc is leading according to initial projects, and its leader Friedrich Merz has repeatedly ruled out a coalition with the AfD.