German voters head to polls facing world of change as far right waits in the wings

Europe holds its breath as world's third largest economic power and most populous EU country faces crossroads

German voters go to the polls today but it is a different world from when the campaign began only a few weeks ago.

Nearly 60 million people are choosing a government that will have to grapple with the breakdown of the transatlantic alliance under Donald Trump and new threats to European security just as the country's vaunted economic model is hitting the skids.