World
Leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz gestures during his speech as the screen behind reads "Political change for Germany" at the final campaign event of Germany's Christian Democratic Union party on the eve of general elections in Munich, on February 22, 2025. Photo: AFP
prev
next
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany is heading to the polls on Sunday to vote in high-stakes federal parliamentary elections with the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leading opinion polls and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) expected to score 20 percent of the vote.
A total of 630 parliamentary seats are up for grabs as over 59 million Germans are eligible to vote, according to official statistics.
CDU candidate Friedrich Merz, 69, is likely to become the country’s next chancellor, and his party’s coalition with its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) has been leading opinion polls with 30 percent support, according to DW.
Merz has pledged to tighten Germany’s borders and revive his country’s economy, but his party has faced public backlash after cooperating with the AfD on an anti-immigration bill they tried to pass last month.
A recent poll published by DW revealed that immigration and economic issues topped the list of the most pressing problems for German voters.
Merz’s CDU will need to secure an alliance with at least one other party to form the government, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats the most likely pick.
Support is also at an all-time high for the AfD, a far-right party that opposes migration. The party has also publicly condoned mass deportations.
A total of 630 parliamentary seats are up for grabs as over 59 million Germans are eligible to vote, according to official statistics.
CDU candidate Friedrich Merz, 69, is likely to become the country’s next chancellor, and his party’s coalition with its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) has been leading opinion polls with 30 percent support, according to DW.
Merz has pledged to tighten Germany’s borders and revive his country’s economy, but his party has faced public backlash after cooperating with the AfD on an anti-immigration bill they tried to pass last month.
A recent poll published by DW revealed that immigration and economic issues topped the list of the most pressing problems for German voters.
Merz’s CDU will need to secure an alliance with at least one other party to form the government, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats the most likely pick.
Support is also at an all-time high for the AfD, a far-right party that opposes migration. The party has also publicly condoned mass deportations.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment