German voters are heading to the polls Sunday for a national election. The race pits the incumbent chancellor against the opposition leader, the vice chancellor and — for the first time — a leader of a far-right party.
rarely gives any party an absolute majority and opinion polls suggest that no party is anywhere near one this time. Two or more parties will most likely form a coalition in the coming weeks.
Sunday’s election comes as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with , the and .
Here’s the latest:
Trump’s relationship with Germany
Germany’s next government will be central to Europe’s response to and his assertive new .
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last month that a second Trump presidency will be “a challenge.â€
Far-right leader Alice Weidel has vowed to “make Germany great again†in an echo of Trump’s campaign slogan.
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Thousands protested against Merz ahead of Sunday's vote
across Germany in recent weeks have protested against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and conservative front-runner Friedrich Merz for sending to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that received AfD’s backing.
The demonstrators — and former German Chancellor — say Merz broke against cooperation with anti-immigrant, far-right parties.
Merz insists his position is unchanged and that he didn’t and .
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Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz casts his vote in German election
Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz has cast his vote in the German election.
Merz is the leader of the center-right Union bloc, which has by far the best chance of forming a new government.
Merz voted Sunday in Arnsberg in western Germany, just minutes after his main rival, Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He is also facing environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and far-right leader Alice Weidel in the race for chancellor.
Habeck and Weidel voted early.
Sunday’s election comes as Germany and the rest of Europe grapples with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.
Scholz votes in German election that comes after his governing coalition collapsed
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has voted in a German election that comes after his governing coalition collapsed last year.
Scholz then lost a confidence vote, forcing President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the parliament and schedule a new election.
Scholz voted Sunday in Potsdam, a city outside Berlin, and is facing opposition leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz, Vice Chancellor and environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and far-right leader Alice Weidel in the race for chancellor.
Who is Merz, the front-runner for chancellor?
Friedrich Merz, the current opposition leader, is the front-runner in the country’s election campaign.
His center-right Union bloc is leading polls.
The 69-year-old became leader of the Christian Democratic Union after Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down in 2021, though he joined the party decades before.
German president votes
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has cast his vote at a polling station in Berlin, according to the German news agency dpa. He is in his second term as president and hails from the center-left Social Democratic Party.
The global importance of this election
Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of NATO. It will be central to shaping the continent’s response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration’s confrontational foreign and trade policies.
Leading contenders make final appeals
Merz vowed to revive the stagnant economy and defend Europe’s interests in the face of a confrontational U.S. administration. Scholz, meanwhile, insisted that he still hopes for an improbable last-minute comeback.
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Who can vote?
German citizens aged 18 and up can vote. At least 59.2 million people in the nation of 84 million are eligible, about 2.3 million of them for the first time.
Polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
Exit polls will be announced and vote-counting will begin immediately after voting ends. A final official result is expected early Monday.
The candidates for chancellor
Four candidates are bidding to be Germany’s next leader in Sunday’s election.
The candidates are incumbent , opposition leader , Vice Chancellor and environmentalist Greens candidate and co-leader of the AfD AfD .
Polls have opened across Germany
Polls are now open across Germany in an election that could shape Europe’s response to the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.
Why is Germany holding an election?
The election comes seven months ahead of schedule following the collapse of in early November.
It’s only the fourth time the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule following a confidence vote under Germany’s post-World War II constitution.
