The far-right AfD likely will score its best ever result as Europe's ailing economic powerhouse lurches rightwards. The conservative CDU/CSU bloc is set to win, but will be unlikely to secure a majority.

German voters are heading to the polls Sunday for a national election. The race pits the incumbent chancellor against the opposition leader, the vice chancellor and — for the first time — a leader of a far-right party.

Germany's mainstream political parties lost support while the far-right AfD gained ground in one of the last polls published before the election on Sunday, pointing to likely tricky coalition building that could drag on for months.