Germans are voting in parliamentary elections brought forward by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ ruling coalition last November. The conservative CDU/CSU is in the lead in opinion polls. DW has the latest.
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Germans are voting today in an early election after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition collapsed in November last year.
The campaign focused on the economy and migration, but polls have remained steady, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Union bloc leading.
Merz promises to revive Germany’s struggling economy and strengthen its role in Europe.
At a rally in Munich, he vowed to take a tougher stance on migration and defend Europe’s interests, even against the US. He rejected any cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is set for a record result but remains isolated.
On the other hand, Scholz, whose Social Democrats lag far behind, hopes for a last-minute comeback. Scholz said that his party is the best defense against AfD gaining influence.
Frontrunner Merz vows ‘strong voice’ in Europe
Germany’s CDU leader and frontrunner for chancellor Friedrich Merz held a final rally ahead of Sunday’s elections, where he promised to be a “strong voice in the European Union.”
“Europe must become stronger again and Germany must become more involved in the European Union,” Merz told the rally of his CDU/CSU alliance.
“Every election is a pivotal election, a historic election,” he added, highlighting the special “circumstances under which this election will take place tomorrow,” to “what we are currently experiencing in the world” and what it could mean for the post-war order.
“None of us can be sure today that what we have had for 75 years will continue for the next 20 to 30 years, and that is why this election tomorrow is a pivotal election for Germany,” the CDU leader said.
Merz told supporters that US President Donald Trump back, Europe must “sit at the main table and safeguard our interests vis-a-vis Russia and China.”