Voting in Germany's 'Decisive' General Elections Begins

Voting in Germany's general elections began at 8 AM on Sunday, March 5. More than 59 million German citizens are eligible to vote in this election and have until 6 PM to cast their ballots. Polls indicate that Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Party, has a greater chance of being appointed as the new Chancellor of Germany. Many media outlets, especially in Germany, have described this election as 'vital' and 'decisive' due to the leading position of a right-wing party. According to the latest poll conducted on Saturday for the Bild newspaper, the coalition of the Christian Democratic and Christian Social parties leads the election with 29.5% of the votes. The far-right party 'Alternative for Germany' (AfD) is in second place with 21% of the votes; Alice Weidel, one of the two leaders of this party, has been announced as a candidate for Chancellor. The third position in the polls belongs to the Social Democratic Party led by current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which has garnered 15% of the votes in the latest survey. The Greens have 12.5% and the Left Coalition has 7.5%, placing them in the last two positions. Based on these statistics, none of the parties will be able to form a government alone and will need to ally with another party. However, both Mr. Merz and Mr. Scholz have completely ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with the AfD. The issue of immigration and refugees has been a central topic in German politics in recent years, and several attacks by refugees have made this a focal point in the election. Economic issues and calls for reform in the stagnating economy are also among the main topics in this election. Last month, the Federal Statistical Office of Germany announced that the country's GDP has decreased by 0.2% for the second consecutive year; this figure was 0.3% the year before these two years. On the other hand, in recent months, the taboo surrounding far-right groups in Germany has been broken, and the popularity of the AfD, especially in East Germany, has significantly increased. The support of Elon Musk, a senior advisor to the U.S. President, for this party, as well as a meeting between J.D. Vance, a deputy to Donald Trump, and the AfD's candidate for Chancellor, have also been prominent discussions in recent weeks. This action by two officials associated with the Trump administration has sparked considerable criticism in Germany.