Germans vote under shadow of far-right surge and Trump
Published: 05:02 PM,Feb 23,2025 | EDITED : 09:02 PM,Feb 23,2025
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Buedenbender enter the voting office, in Berlin. — AFP
BERLIN: Germans went to the polls on Sunday in a pivotal election, with the conservatives the strong favourites after a campaign rocked by a far-right surge and the dramatic return of US President Donald Trump. Frontrunner Friedrich Merz has vowed a tough rightward shift if elected to win back voters from the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is eyeing a record result after a string of deadly attacks blamed on asylum seekers. If he takes over from embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the centre-left SPD, as widely predicted given a yawning poll gap, Merz has promised a 'strong voice' in Europe at a time of chaotic disruption.
Casting his ballot in Berlin, Daniel Hofmann, a 62-year-old urban planner, said it was his 'civic duty' to vote as 'right now we are going through very uncertain times'. 'There must be a change, a transformation.' More than 59 million Germans are eligible to vote. The high-stakes vote in the EU's biggest economy comes amid tectonic upheaval in US-Europe ties sparked by Trump's direct outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin over their heads to end the Ukraine war.
Across Europe, Nato allies worry about the future of the alliance, nowhere more than in Germany which grew prosperous under the US-led security umbrella. Merz, in his final CDU/CSU campaign event in Munich on Saturday, said Europe needed to walk tall to be able to 'sit at the main table' of the world powers. Voicing strong confidence, he told supporters in a large beer hall that 'we will win the elections and then the nightmare of this government will be over'.
Amid the rise of the AfD, Merz has argued the next government must boldly address their concerns, warning that otherwise the far right might win next time around. 'The stakes could not be higher', argued political analyst and author Michael Broening, who serves on the SPD's Basic Values commission. 'Germany's mainstream parties have consistently failed to convince voters to reject the far right, and this election could be their last chance to turn the tide.'
Democratic forces must find solutions to economic stagnation, immigration challenges and voter disaffection, he said, adding that 'if Germany's 'establishment' parties fail to deliver this time, they may not be the establishment for much longer'. For the next German leader, more threats loom from the United States, long its bedrock ally, if Trump sparks a trade war that could hammer Germany's recession-hit economy. Trump, asked about the elections in Germany, which he has berated over its trade, migration and defence policies, said dismissively that 'I wish them luck, we got our own problems'. Scholz will stay in charge as caretaker until any new multi-party government takes shape -- a task which Merz has confidently said he hopes to achieve in two months, by Easter. — AFP
Casting his ballot in Berlin, Daniel Hofmann, a 62-year-old urban planner, said it was his 'civic duty' to vote as 'right now we are going through very uncertain times'. 'There must be a change, a transformation.' More than 59 million Germans are eligible to vote. The high-stakes vote in the EU's biggest economy comes amid tectonic upheaval in US-Europe ties sparked by Trump's direct outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin over their heads to end the Ukraine war.
Across Europe, Nato allies worry about the future of the alliance, nowhere more than in Germany which grew prosperous under the US-led security umbrella. Merz, in his final CDU/CSU campaign event in Munich on Saturday, said Europe needed to walk tall to be able to 'sit at the main table' of the world powers. Voicing strong confidence, he told supporters in a large beer hall that 'we will win the elections and then the nightmare of this government will be over'.
Amid the rise of the AfD, Merz has argued the next government must boldly address their concerns, warning that otherwise the far right might win next time around. 'The stakes could not be higher', argued political analyst and author Michael Broening, who serves on the SPD's Basic Values commission. 'Germany's mainstream parties have consistently failed to convince voters to reject the far right, and this election could be their last chance to turn the tide.'
Democratic forces must find solutions to economic stagnation, immigration challenges and voter disaffection, he said, adding that 'if Germany's 'establishment' parties fail to deliver this time, they may not be the establishment for much longer'. For the next German leader, more threats loom from the United States, long its bedrock ally, if Trump sparks a trade war that could hammer Germany's recession-hit economy. Trump, asked about the elections in Germany, which he has berated over its trade, migration and defence policies, said dismissively that 'I wish them luck, we got our own problems'. Scholz will stay in charge as caretaker until any new multi-party government takes shape -- a task which Merz has confidently said he hopes to achieve in two months, by Easter. — AFP