Merkel on the Brink of Fourth Electoral Victory

According to the latest polls, Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany and her party, the Christian Democratic Union, are leading the parliamentary elections in the country, the Bundestag, on Sunday, September 24 (2nd of Mehr). Based on the latest poll announced by German state television on Thursday night, the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its allied party, the Christian Social Union, are leading with over 36% of the votes, while her rival, the Social Democrats, are in second place with about 21% of the votes. However, according to statistics, the votes for both parties have decreased compared to the 2013 elections. As some German analysts had previously predicted, the far-right party 'Alternative for Germany' is in third place in this poll with about 11% of the votes, followed by the Liberal 'Free Democrats', the Socialist 'Left', and the 'Greens' in subsequent ranks. The website Spiegel, in an assessment of public opinion regarding the election candidates, reported that in response to a specific and clear question about whom they would choose, 56% said they would choose Angela Merkel, while 32% chose her opponent Martin Schulz. However, these polls also indicate that although it is completely clear for 63% of eligible voters whom they intend to vote for, about one-third do not know whom to choose. The German parliamentary elections are considered very sensitive and important this time, especially given Germany's role as a major economic and political power in the European Union. This sensitivity arises from the fact that a far-right party, 'Alternative for Germany', is entering the parliament for the first time. This party, which initially entered the German political scene with strong criticism of Merkel's immigration policy and opposition to Islam and the acceptance of Muslim immigrants, has always been against the European Union and has become more politically vocal on this issue, especially in the past year and a half with the decrease in the influx of refugees to Germany. It should be noted that immigration policy is one of the key competitive issues not only for the far-right but also for other political parties in this election. While Martin Schulz and the Social Democrats emphasize the necessity of creating a unified immigration law for the entire European Union, Angela Merkel and her party do not consider such a law necessary and propose a limited but continuous immigration policy for Germany. The German Left also supports a completely open policy for accepting immigrants. The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper wrote on Friday that given it is clear that the two major parties, the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, will occupy the first and second positions in parliament, it remains to be seen which smaller party will take the third position. As the third political force and leader of a powerful party, the opposition has the advantage of having the most discussions in parliament with the governing parties. The Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper wrote on Friday that given the reality that Angela Merkel's victory in the elections seems certain, it is likely that the Alternative for Germany will also achieve a double-digit result and enter parliament as the third most powerful party among the opposition parties. Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's Foreign Minister, recently stated in an interview with Spiegel that if the Alternative for Germany enters parliament, 'for the first time in over 70 years, Nazis will speak in the Bundestag.' If Angela Merkel wins this election, she will become Chancellor of Germany for the fourth time. The editor of the Nature weekly, one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world alongside Science, has recently taken an unexpected stance on the parliamentary elections and German policy. This publication has expressed hope that Angela Merkel will remain Chancellor of Germany for another term. Unlike other Western democracies such as Britain and the United States, whose policies regarding climate change have been criticized by Nature, Merkel's policy is seen by this publication as progressive, friendly, and research-oriented. For this reason, Nature believes that Germany plays a leading role in scientific fields and ranks among the top countries. During the refugee crisis in Germany, Angela Merkel stated, 'We can do it.' This statement sparked much debate and criticism. Nature, referring to this statement, wrote that Merkel's perspective is also applied to science, unlike the leaders of other countries. This is a viewpoint that the world needs now more than ever.