A network of more than 700 fake social media accounts has sprung up in the last week of Germany's election campaign.

Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded the election and decried the historic gains of the far-right conservative party, AfD. Early exit polls show AfD is headed for second place, while opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives are in the lead and Scholz’s party fell to third.

Germany's mainstream conservatives have won the country's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the country's second-largest party.