Open this photo in gallery: The sun sets behind the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Feb. 22, 2025, one day ahead of the German election. Nearby, people stand with signs and banners.Michael Probst/The Associated Press Germans vote in a national election on Sunday which is expected to see Friedrich Merz’s conservatives regain power and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) score its best ever result as Europe’s ailing economic powerhouse lurches rightwards. Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc has consistently led polls but is unlikely to win a majority given Germany’s fragmented political landscape, forcing it to sound out coalition partners. Those negotiations...