Berlin
CNN
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Germans are going to elections in the national elections on Sunday. Referendum surveys show that the result will probably be a new Chancellor and a new governing alliance.
Usually slightly dried and often approximate, this election campaign has been eventful by comparison.
Last November, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Chancellor Olaf Sholaz unknowingly fired his Finance Minister. The Sholz then lost a vote of confidence, which led to the early parliamentary elections.
Shortly thereafter, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a trusted by the Trump administration, was going to this campaign, giving voice to his support for a distant option for Germany (AFD).
Musk’s intervention led to a national debate of how Germany recalled its 20th century history. Chancellor called Musk’s support for far-flung politicians in Europe as “disgusting”.
AFD German politics is likely to break the new ground for its share, with opinion surveys, it has been suggested that it can become the second largest political group in the country-a distant party since Nazi-era. First for.
The campaign dominates two major topics: curbing mass migration and correcting the country’s flowing economy.
Who is the main candidate for the Chancellor?
Frederick Merz
Frederick Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, has been the longest leading in the competition. Voting at more than 30%regularly, the Sangh Party – CDU and its Bavarian sister party, CSU – is fixed as the largest party in Germany and returns to the top of German politics.
The CDU has adopted a much more aggressive policy towards immigration as compared to the open borders.
In the last weeks of the election campaign, Merz extended the immigration to the front-so he has been accused of leaving the door open to work with far and wide.
In the end of January, he caused a nationwide hurdle when he demanded to carry forward the law that implements strict control over immigration through the Bundestag, or the German Parliament.
His desire to use AFD’s support to do so broke a long-held taboo in German politics-although he eventually failed to pass a binding bill-and inspired a massive protest in German cities Did.
In an interview at his party Congress in early February, however, Mars reiterated CNN that working with AFD was a non-starter. “They are against … everything (that) we are, what we make in the federal republic of Germany. There is no cooperation with this party,” he said.
Merz is not a newcomer for German politics, but this is his second repetition as a politician.
Between 1989 and 1994, Merz was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Germany. He later became a member of the Bundestag representing CDU by 2009. He then quit politics to work as a corporate advocate, where he sat on several supervisory boards, including the investment giant Blackrock.
He now represents his hometown Brillon and is widely distinguished to become a millionaire with a private pilot license.
He made two unsuccessful attempts to become CDU heads in 2018 and 2021. He officially took over as the head of the party in 2022.
Alice Weidel
The AFD candidate for the Chancellor, its co-leader Alice Waidel, is a staunch anti-immigration.
AFD had a successful 2024, which strongly performed in regional elections. It became the largest party in Thuringia, which was the first since the Nazi-era, and came to each other in another regional vote.
Referendum surveys show that popularity has also translated at the national level. The party is voting in second place, with about 20%, because Snap was called election and the figures are rarely reduced.
Talking to CNN at a huge rally for AFD, on which Musk appeared by video link, Vedel said that her first task as Chancellor “closing our boundaries, controlling them and then all illegally out would send.” This is a policy that she calls “remigration” – a word that has Nazi meaning.
Olaf sholz
Hollen Chancellor’s party, SPD, can become the biggest defeatrs of the election.
After becoming the largest party in the 2021 election, public opinion surveys indicate that they are ready to swing down in votes with about 10 points. This will not only put them behind the AFD, but it will have to fight it with greens for the third.
Sholaz rode in power over a wave of masculine optimism, but his “traffic light” alliance was infiltrated from the beginning. Many of those disagreements spread publicly and the country continued to hit.
It all produces some beautiful slow views of Scholz and their SPD party. Last September, a pole ranked Sholz as at least since integration as the German Chancellor.
The popularity of the scools was so low that just before kicking the entire furore throughout the election season, there were rumors that his party Boris Pistorius, the current Defense Minister, wanted to replace him as a party. Kanzlerkandidat.
Robert Habec
Green party should also be considered to be seen at about 13%at the national level.
This is unlikely to gather enough votes to be the largest party, but it can play an important role in the formation of the next government. Greens’ candidate for Chancellor is Robert Habek, who is currently the Minister of Economics of the Nation.
What are the main issues?
Immigration has been a major focus of this election, which was worried in part by a series of shelter seekers or alleged high-profile attacks carried out by migrants or migrants.
Scools resumed the check on borders with neighboring European countries in recent months, one step by many people saw that he was trying to assert with voters who could turn to the populist AFD.
Running a close second is the economy.
A powerhouse, usually a powerhouse, has been stable, and the general approach is that the major improvement is required.
In January, Germany’s Federal Statistics Office stated that the country’s GDP had shrunk to the second year, which was 0.2%to 0.2%, after a contraction of 0.3%in 2023.
Many economic headwinds have been caused by issues outside the control of the scools, but, nevertheless, voters believe that their government has greatly reduced to try to improve the situation.
Russia’s war has a major contribution in Ukraine. Shortly after the Ukraine invasion, Germany eliminated its general heavy dependence on Russian gas.
With increasing competition from China in the automotive sector, Germany’s economic machine has a huge cog – and a vast business crisis with a combative Trump administration all have all worrisome possibilities.
The country’s important motor vehicle will focus on reviving the country’s important motor vehicle industry. The central bank has stated that problems within the industry are “structural”, and thus increasing the pulling on the economy.
One of the world’s largest car manufacturers, major companies, including Volkswagen, are facing the possibility of large -scale trimming and plant shutdown.
The governments of Germany are almost always formed in alliance because no party manages to gather 50%-Plus votes required to rule alone.
There will be no separate around this time, and there are many different options for a possible aligning. The winners of the election will look at a partner to make a majority, but the formation of the government may take weeks or months.
Whatever the result of the vote, however, one thing is almost certain: AFD will be blocked by being a partner in any coalition.
In a bizarre of German politics, the governing coalition is often named. The previous coalition government headed by SPD (Red) included the Green Party (Green) and Liberal Party (Yellow) – as well as known as the “Traffic Light” alliance.
Perhaps only one thing is clear – the next German government is not going to be completely formed after the election closure on Sunday night.
