These include an economic malaise that has gripped the country in recent years, with its car-and-export-orientated economy looking vulnerable, as well as a thorny debate over immigration and integration that has seen the likes of the AfD rise in prominence and popularity.

Germany is set for a shift to the right after the conservative CDU/CSU bloc secured a clear victory in Sunday's elections, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) recorded its best-ever performance.