{"id":1377,"date":"2025-02-21T15:27:23","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T09:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlinepeoplesnews.com\/?p=1377"},"modified":"2025-02-21T15:28:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T09:43:05","slug":"who-is-running-in-the-german-election-and-what-are-the-key-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlinepeoplesnews.com\/?p=1377","title":{"rendered":"Who is running in the German election and what are the key issues?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"article-header\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>German citizens will take to the polls on February 23 for a snap general election after the ruling coalition government collapsed late last year.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1378\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1378\" style=\"width: 919px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1378\" src=\"https:\/\/mldedt7oug9o.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/onlinepeoplesnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GERMANY-ELECTION-1739459940.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"919\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mldedt7oug9o.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/onlinepeoplesnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GERMANY-ELECTION-1739459940.webp 770w, https:\/\/mldedt7oug9o.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:200\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/onlinepeoplesnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GERMANY-ELECTION-1739459940.webp 300w, https:\/\/mldedt7oug9o.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:512\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/onlinepeoplesnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GERMANY-ELECTION-1739459940.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 919px) 100vw, 919px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1378\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Election campaign posters for Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party Germany (SPD) in Cologne, Germany, on February 2, 2025 [Jana Rodenbusch\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Germany will go to the polls on Sunday, February 23 after a snap election was called in December following the collapse of the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.<\/p>\n<p>Key issues for voters in this parliamentary election will be the state of the economy, migration and Ukraine\u2019s war with Russia.<\/p>\n<p>A survey on February 12 by news outlet Politico showed that the main opposition \u2013 the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) \u2013 are currently leading the polls with the support of 29 percent of voters, followed by the right-wing Alternative Fur Deutschland (AfD) which has 21 percent.<\/p>\n<p>In the same poll, Scholz\u2019s Social Democratic Party (SPD) was third with 16 percent, followed by Alliance 90\/The Greens, commonly referred to as the Greens, with 12 percent.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3523857\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3523857\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3523857\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/INTERACTIVE-Germany-Election-Poll-tracker-February-20-1740038980.png?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C962&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE - Germany Election Poll tracker February 20-1740038980\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3523857\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Al Jazeera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Junior Professor Endre Borbath from the Institute of Political Science at Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg, told Al Jazeera that the resurgence of support for the CDU, which ruled Germany for 16 years until 2021 under former chancellor Angela Merkel before losing the last election, was \u201cnot that surprising\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDue to the war in Ukraine, and the resources that were required to support the Ukrainian side in this conflict, much of the government priorities had to be scaled down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming election.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"podcast\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/the-take\/is-germany-s-far-right-about-to-go-mainstream\/embed?style=cover\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-has-a-snap-election-been-called-in-germany\">Why has a snap election been called in Germany?<\/h2>\n<p>In November 2024, Germany\u2019s ruling coalition, a three-way alliance between the SPD, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), collapsed following disagreements over the country\u2019s weak economy, which led Scholz to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/11\/7\/early-german-elections-likely-as-scholz-fires-minister-coalition-collapses\">sack his finance minister<\/a>, Christian Lindner of the FDP party.<\/p>\n<p>After months of wrangling, Scholz said he fired Lindner for his obstructive behaviour over the country\u2019s budget, and accused him of putting party before country and blocking legislation on spurious grounds, leading the FDP to quit the government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo often he has engaged in small-minded party political tactics. He broke my confidence too many times,\u201d the chancellor said of Lindner.<\/p>\n<p>For his part, Lindner said the chancellor had tried to strong-arm him into breaking a constitutionally enshrined spending limit, known as the debt brake, a move that the fiscal hawk refused to support.<\/p>\n<p>In December, a confidence vote was held in parliament,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/12\/16\/germany-set-for-new-elections-after-chancellor-scholz-loses-confidence-vote\">which Scholz lost<\/a>, paving the way for the February 23 parliamentary election.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"which-main-parties-are-contesting-this-election\">Which main parties are contesting this election?<\/h2>\n<p>The country has two centrist party groups; Scholz\u2019s SPD and the conservative alliance, which includes the CDU and CSU.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, these parties have been losing support, while smaller parties from both sides of the political spectrum, including the Greens and the far-right AfD, have gained support.<\/p>\n<p>Besides these players, the FDP, a pro-market, neoliberal centre-right political party, the far-left Linke, and the left-leaning populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) are also running in the election.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3518051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3518051\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3518051\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/INTERACTIVE-The-parties-GERMANY-ELECTIONS-FEB172025-1739866653.png?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C962&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE - The parties-GERMANY ELECTIONS - FEB17,2025-1739866653\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3518051\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Al Jazeera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"who-are-the-two-main-party-leaders-and-what-are-they-offering\">Who are the two main party leaders and what are they offering?<\/h2>\n<h3>Olaf Scholz, Social Democratic Party (SPD)<\/h3>\n<p>Scholz, 66, the current German chancellor, is running again in the upcoming election after he was sworn in by the Bundestag in December 2021 after running as a continuity candidate following the departure of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was chancellor for 16 years.<\/p>\n<p>During Scholz\u2019s term as chancellor, he has led the country through several domestic and European issues, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>However, as disputes between members of his three-way coalition over the national budget have intensified, Scholz\u2019s popularity has waned. As of January, only 31 percent of people said they approved of Scholz as the country\u2019s leader, according to polling group Statista.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3508529\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3508529\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3508529\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/2025-02-13T133005Z_1679535859_RC25TCAPYVUX_RTRMADP_3_GERMANY-ELECTION-RUSSIA-1739459928.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3508529\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz speaks during a campaign event ahead of the upcoming 2025 general election in Neubrandenburg, Germany, February 12, 2025. [File: Annegret Hilse\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Friedrich Merz, Christian Democrats<\/h3>\n<p>Friedrich Merz, 69, the leader of the CDU, is a familiar face within the conservative bloc as he joined the youth arm of the party as a young man and worked his way up the ranks.<\/p>\n<p>From 2000 to 2002, Merz served as party leader but lost the position to Merkel, who later went on to become the first female chancellor in Germany\u2019s history and to have the longest time in office.<\/p>\n<p>But Merz was often critical of Merkel and offered what many saw as a more conservative and business-friendly approach than the former German leader, who had more centrist views and opened Germany\u2019s borders to refugees in 2015. That move was praised by some but condemned by others, mainly on the right of the political spectrum. It has also become less popular over recent years.<\/p>\n<p>So far, Merz has promised to stop what he called illegal migration, pledged \u201czero tolerance\u201d on crime and said he will reverse marijuana legalisation.<\/p>\n<p>With the CDU currently ahead in the polls, Merz is tipped to win the election.<\/p>\n<p>But in late January, Merz drew\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/1\/30\/germanys-merkel-blasts-cdu-leader-for-cooperating-with-far-right-afd\">controversy<\/a>\u00a0when he put a non-binding motion to Germany\u2019s parliament to strengthen border controls and accelerate deportations. The motion passed with the support of the AfD, breaking a longstanding firewall that previously prevented mainstream parties from cooperating with the far right, and prompting Merkel to publicly criticise Merz. It marked the first time the far-right party has been relied on to pass legislation in Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the far-right\u2019s help, Merz told a CDU convention earlier this month that he would not cooperate with the AfD and would \u201cmake the party as small as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But Borbath, the professor, said that breaking the firewall had helped the AfD achieve some kind of \u201cnormalisation\u201d within German politics. It was a \u201cwarning sign\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it might also reflect some kind of deliberate strategy in the sense of testing out the kind of societal climate, testing out the discursive climate, and seeing what would happen, should there be some kind of coordination with the AfD, or should the AfD be taken as a normal political party.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3518048\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3518048\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3518048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/INTERACTIVE-How-elections-work-GERMANY-FEB172025-1739866649.png?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C962&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE - How elections work-GERMANY - FEB17,2025-1739866649\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3518048\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Al Jazeera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"how-does-the-german-electoral-system-work\">How does the German electoral system work?<\/h2>\n<p>A general election is called every four years, with this one originally scheduled for September 2025.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, German citizens will vote twice: once for a local member of parliament and, secondly, for a party.<\/p>\n<p>This system means that alongside the winning local MP, each party also sends a number of MPs to the federal parliament (Bundestag) based on the vote share they secured in the second vote.<\/p>\n<p>The second vote is considered the most important and is most widely reported on election night, as it determines the number of seats a party will receive overall in the Bundestag and the party\u2019s strength within government.<\/p>\n<p>There are 630 parliamentary seats up for grabs, which will be distributed proportionally on the second votes.<\/p>\n<p>A coalition government will likely be formed as it is rare for one party to win an absolute majority. The only time a single party secured a majority was for the parliamentary term of 1957 to 1961 when the CDU\/CSU won the election in West Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Whichever party secures the most votes will nominate a candidate as chancellor, and the new Bundestag will vote. The candidate must secure an absolute majority to be sworn in as the country\u2019s new leader.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3518045\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3518045\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3518045\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/INTERACTIVE-Bundestag-distribution-of-seats-2021-GERMANY-ELECTIONS-FEB172025-1739866643.png?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C962&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE - Bundestag distribution of seats 2021-GERMANY ELECTIONS - FEB17,2025-1739866643\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3518045\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Al Jazeera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>What time do polling stations open?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Polling stations will be open from 8am (07:00 GMT) to 6pm (17:00 GMT) on Sunday when exit poll results are expected.<\/p>\n<p>Initial results are expected to start coming in half an hour after the polls close, and the final results are usually determined overnight.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"video-player-facade-container\">\n<div class=\"aj-video-player in-article-bc-video-player aj-parsed-component\">\n<div class=\"vjs-poster\" aria-disabled=\"false\"><picture class=\"vjs-poster\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/34904014-10b3-44c2-81d7-5e49b15595aa\/ed5ed613-4d26-437e-bd63-22fc163063c4\/1920x1080\/match\/image.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-text-track-display\" translate=\"yes\" aria-live=\"off\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-icon-parent\">\n<div class=\"post-icon__container post-icon--large\">Source: Aljazeera<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>German citizens will take to the polls on February 23 for a snap general election after the ruling coalition government collapsed late last year. &nbsp; &nbsp; Germany will go to&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who is running in the German election and what are the key issues? - Online Peoples News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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