German voters went to the polls on Sunday to determine the composition of the next Bundestag, the country's lower house of parliament.
The election, initially scheduled for September this year, became a snap election after the collapse of the current ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party last year.
Recent polls indicate that the sister parties of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) are taking the lead. According to a Friday survey conducted by the Forsa Institute, support for CDU and CSU stood at 29 percent, compared to 21 percent for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and 15 percent for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD.
Forming a stable federal government requires a majority of the 630 seats in the Bundestag. The Forsa survey also revealed that 22 percent of respondents were still undecided shortly before the election.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and will close at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT), after which ballot counting will commence and exit polls will be released.
A total of 4,506 candidates are contesting the election across 299 constituencies, with at least 59.2 million people eligible to vote, according to official figures.
High-Stakes Election
The national election is expected to restore power to Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc, while the far-right AfD is forecasted to achieve its best result yet in Germany's ailing economic powerhouse.
Merz's CDU/CSU bloc has consistently led the polls but is unlikely to secure a majority given Germany's fragmented political landscape, necessitating coalition talks. These negotiations are expected to be challenging following a campaign that highlighted sharp divisions over migration and the handling of the AfD—issues particularly sensitive in a country with a strong stigma attached to far-right politics due to its Nazi past.
If a stable government cannot be formed, Chancellor Scholz may remain in a caretaker role for months, delaying urgently needed policies to revive Europe's largest economy after two consecutive years of contraction, as companies continue to struggle against global rivals.
A protracted leadership vacuum in Germany, a key player in Europe, emerges amidst various challenges, including U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of a trade war and efforts to fast-track a ceasefire deal for Ukraine without European involvement.
Germany, with its export-oriented economy and long reliance on the U.S. for security, finds itself particularly vulnerable. Public sentiment reveals increasing pessimism about living standards, with the percentage of those who feel their situation is improving dropping sharply from 42 percent in 2023 to 27 percent last year, according to pollster Gallup, Inc.
Additionally, attitudes toward migration have hardened, marking a profound shift in German public sentiment since its \"Refugees Welcome\" stance during Europe's 2015 migrant crisis.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
