Germans are going to the polls today in a national election which could deliver Angela Merkel a fourth term as Chancellor.

The 63-year-old German leader and her CDU party have led in the Bundestag for more than a decade.

Issues including the economy and immigration have dominated the campaign and this will be the first national vote since Germany opened its doors to hundreds of thousands of migrants in 2015.

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Even if Mrs Merkel remains as Chancellor, Germany could see a far-right party become the country's main opposition.

Sixty million people are eligible to vote in what is a notoriously complex system for electing members of the Bundestag, combining direct and proportional representation.

The CDU and its closest rival - Martin Schulz' SPD - led a so-called "grand coalition" during the last term.

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Image: Co-lead AfD candidates Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel

This time around, another coalition looks certain but its make-up will depend on the result following a six-week campaign.

Both Mrs Merkel and Mr Schulz have used these last few days to implore their supporters to go to the polls.

They fear abstention in a campaign regularly described as "boring".

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That could give an advantage to some of the smaller parties, including the right-wing nationalist AfD who have been pushing to get seats in the national parliament for the first time.

The outcome of the election will be significant not just at home but globally too.

Germany plays a dominant role in the European Union, paying in more than any other nation to the EU budget.

This will likely give it plenty of leverage on all matters Brexit.

Image: AfD co-leader Frauke Petry casts her vote at a polling station in Leipzig

Internationally, the country's economy gives it influence, and its current Chancellor has often been described as the most powerful woman in the world.

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Voting stations opened in Germany at 8am local time (7am in the UK) and close at 6pm (5pm in the UK).

Exit polls soon after could give us an early indication of who has done well but definitive results could take a few days.

As for timing on which parties will make up the coalition - that's anyone's guess.