Voters head to polls in Germany
Voters are heading to the polls in Germany today in an election that will be focused on immigration and the economy, according to Sky News on 23rd February.
The election was called back in December of last year, when Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in the Bundestag.
Scholz had led a fractured, three-way coalition government, that had been elected in 2021.
The coalition finally fell after Scholz sacked his finance minister Christian Lindner.
Since 2021, the coalition has struggled to deal with various geopolitical, economic and social issues in the country.
The election comes at a time of instability for Europe, with Europe and Ukraine coming under fire from the US.
The inauspicious ending of the coalition government has paved the way for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Deutschland (AFD).
Whilst the AFD is projected to become Germany’s second largest party – behind Angela Merkel’s old party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – no other party is willing to enter into power with them.
Friedrich Merz, whose opposition party the CDU is projected to win, has vowed to revive the economy and defend European interests in the face of an anti-European, Trump-led U.S.
Despite the fact that Germany will likely elect a pro-Europe government, there will be serious concerns regarding the success of the AFD.
Even Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French nationalist party National Rally, has distanced herself from the AFD, claiming they are too radical in their ethno-nationalist centred approach.
As voters head to the polls today, it looks likely that the CDU will lead Germany come next week.
However, the gains of the AFD will worry those hoping to maintain Germany’s liberal, democratic order.
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