Germany election 2021: results and reaction as Merkel era set to end after 16 years – live

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Germany’s 2021 federal election, which – whatever its outcome – marks the end of an era: Angela Merkel’s 16 years as chancellor of Europe’s largest economy.

The race is widely seen as one of the most unpredictable in recent history, with about 40% of voters saying they are still undecided and polls narrowing over the past few day to bring Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance almost level with the centre-left SPD.

The latest polling showed the CDU/CSU, led by 60-year-old Armin Laschet, CDU leader and premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, on 23% of the vote, with the SPD, headed by outgoing social democrat finance minister Olaf Scholz, 60, on 25% – a wafer-thin lead that is well within the pollsters’ margin of error.

The election is expected to yield a splintered parliament, forcing the winner to sound out potential partners before trying to form a three-way coalition with a majority in parliament in a process that could take several months, during which Merkel will stay in office in a caretaker capacity.

Most observers predict the most likely scenarios would see either the SPD or the CDU/CSU – whichever finishes first this evening – forming an alliance with the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). A coalition between the SPD, Greens and the far-left Die Linke is seen as a possible alternative.

Polling opened at Germany’s 88,000 voting stations at 8am and will close at 6pm, with the first exit polls due to be published at the same time.

Together with the Guardian’s Berlin correspondents Philip Oltermann and Kate Connolly, I’ll be bringing you all the latest news, analysis, results and colour from an election whose outcome will set the future course for western Europe’s most populous country – and whose impact will be felt far beyond its borders.