Berlin (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Germany is holding parliamentary elections brought forward by the collapse of Chancellor Scholz, in which the conservative CDU/CSU is leading in the polls.
The polling station opened at 8 a.m. (0700 UTC) and is set to shut at 6 p.m. The snap election is being held following the collapse of a three-party coalition headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Who is ahead in the polls in Germany’s snap election?
Bavarian sister party, Christian Social Union and the conservative Christian Democratic Union, have been leading opinion polls with around 30% backing. CDU contender Friedrich Merz is likely to succeed as the next German chancellor
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) finished second in surveys ahead of the vote, with about 20% of backing in surveys ahead of the vote. However, no other party has voiced an interest in functioning with the AfD, with the party expected to be left out of government.
If Merz succeeds Merkel as chancellor, he may decide to form a partnership with the SPD and/or the environmentalist Greens, among other choices.
What did the German president say after casting a vote?
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier chose to vote in Berlin’s Zehlendorf district about an hour after polls unlocked. The president expressed gratitude to election workers at the site and urged people to vote, telling nationals that they should “make use” of their right to vote and “help decide the future of our country and vote in the knowledge that your vote could be the deciding one.”
What is the eligibility for voting in Germany’s 2025 election?
Germany is governed as a federal state and parliamentary democracy. German constitution, referred to as the Basic Law, is clear: “the people vote” (“das Volk wählt”).
About 59.2 million Germans in Germany will be qualified to vote today, according to the Statistical Office.
However, about 10 million people living in Germany won’t be eligible to cast a vote because they aren’t German nationals. That means almost 14% of Germany’s adult residents will be barred from polls because of their nationality. They’ll be choosing the 630 members of the lower house of parliament, called the Bundestag.
