Final polls suggest Angela Merkel will cruise to fourth term as German chancellor

Angela Merkel is expected to cruise to victory in the German elections, according to the final polls of the week. With just over 24 hours until polls open on Sunday 24 September, three of the largest pollsters, Forsa, Civey and Insa, have given Merkel's centre-right CDU a commanding lead in the polls by an average of 14 points over her nearest rivals, the centre-left SPD.

All polls now place the AfD in third, meaning that for the first time since the Second World War, a party from the far-right will be seated in the German Bundestag. About two points behind is the centrist FDP, which is set to return to parliament after the party was wiped out in the 2013 election.

Merkel's expected success, setting up her fourth term in office, isn't a surprise, but the real question will be who she will take into coalition with her.

The possibility of a grand coalition with the SPD remains high, though this would also place the AfD as the official opposition in the Bundestag.

Depending on the final numbers, it is possible that the CDU may rejoin with the FDP and even the Greens to form a 'Jamaica' coalition.

Despite an expectation of an easy night for the CDU, Merkel has urged voters not to be complacent and cast their vote warning that the shocks of Brexit and Donald Trump could easily be replicated in Germany.

On Thursday 22 September, speaking to a crowd in Hamburg, Merkel said: "What I've heard in the last days is unbelievable ... that everything is already decided. "It is not. Every vote counts!"