Germany’s economy is stalled and its politics fractured. But it sees an opening for a new chancellor to lead Europe’s response to a changing America.

German voters will head to the polls this weekend to elect new leadership, marking a decisive election that will help shape how Europe responds to the new Trump administration. Why it matters: As Europe's biggest economy and the largest member of the European Union,

An economic slump, an immigration crisis and the lifting of a security blanket provided for decades by the U.S. are issues on the minds of German voters. The far-right AfD is polling in second place.

Stories of a pre-election state of emergency, police escorts for toddlers and forged ballot papers -- a blizzard of online disinformation has targeted German voters ahead of Sunday's election.