Whether he can form a strong coalition remains to be seen, but whatever he does will be an essential part of Europe’s response to President Trump’s reshuffling of alliances.

The conservatives’ expected victory comes despite a historically strong showing by the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.

How long all of that would take remains to be seen; in the past, it has varied greatly from government to government. In 2017, it took 171 days. Ms. Merkel remained chancellor for 73 days after the 2021 election before being replaced by Mr. Scholz.

Sunday’s election comes as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent. Polls across Germany will close at 6 p.m.

February 23, Germany is holding elections for the Bundestag. Voter turnout in the early stages of voting has slightly decreased compared to the previous elections in 2021. However, German politicians,