Exit polls suggest German election rivals neck-and-neck

A man casts his ballot in the German elections in a polling station in Berlin (Michael Probst/AP)

Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats were locked in a very close race with outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc in the country’s parliamentary election on Sunday, exit polls showed.

The vote will determine who succeeds the long-time leader after 16 years in power, with officials from both parties saying they hoped to lead the next government.