Early Parliamentary Elections Commence in Germany with Potential for Governmental Shift
On Sunday, 23 February, Germans are voting in early parliamentary elections, which are predicted to be won by the conservative CDU/CSU alliance with Friedrich Merz at the helm.
This was reported by Deutsche Welle.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time and will be open until 18:00. After they close, the first forecasts will be available.
Germans are voting in early elections to the Bundestag because the ruling coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed in November last year. It included Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Now, SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces stiff competition from CDU candidate Friedrich Merz. The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) are leading in opinion polls. They have about 30% of support.
According to forecasts, Friedrich Merz, a candidate from the CDU, is likely to become the next German Chancellor.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the second most popular party, with around 20% support in the polls ahead of the vote. However, no other party has expressed interest in cooperating with the AfD, and the party is expected to remain out of government.
If Merz becomes chancellor, he may decide to form a coalition with the SPD and/or the Greens.