February 15, 2026

Gernany Election

Five key takeaways from the German election

AfD ties CDU in latest German poll as far-right makes western gains – Euractiv

pgnewser September 22, 2025

Five key takeaways from the German election

AfD ties CDU in latest German poll as far-right makes western gains – Euractiv
Source Link
Excerpt:

A new poll puts Germany’s far-right AfD neck and neck with Chancellor Merz’s Christian Democrats, signalling a broader shift as the party expands beyond its eastern strongholds and builds national momentum.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) continues to put pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats, with a widely watched poll released showing the two parties tied among voters at 26%.

The AfD have topped polls before after surging in popularity over the past year, but the latest edition of the public broadcaster ZDF’s Politbarometer poll underscores the party’s apparent staying power – and a threat to Merz from further to the right. His junior coalition partners, the once-mighty Social Democrats (SPD), stayed steady at 15% in the poll – once an unthinkably poor showing for the centre-left party.

The poll comes on the heels of last week’s election in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany’s most populous state. Merz’s Christian Democrats managed to hold onto power in the vote – but the AfD made deep inroads, nearly tripling its share of the vote.

Merz Finally Prevails in Second German Parliament Vote

pgnewser May 7, 2025

After having failed an historic first vote to officially win Germany’s Chancellorship, Conservative leader Friedrich Merz finally secured the majority vote needed in the second round of voting. In the first round of voting, Merz’ coalition of 328 failed to deliver the necessary 316 majority vote needed. He received only 310 votes. The historic first vote failure is seen as a sign that Merz will be beginning his chancellorship with a shaky coalition.

Conservative leader Merz overcomes historic defeat to become Germany’s chancellor – AP News
Source Link
Excerpt:

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz succeeded Tuesday in becoming Germany’s next chancellor, drawing applause and a palpable sense of relief in the parliament chamber after a historic loss in the first round of voting threatened the new government’s promises of stability.

No other postwar candidate for German chancellor has failed to win on the first ballot. The stunning but short-lived defeat sent shock waves throughout Europe and dragged down the stock market. The DAX, the index of major German companies, fell by 1.8% at one point.

The first round of voting, which was conducted by secret ballot, could affect Merz’s prospects for success and bring trouble to his coalition’s agenda, which includes reviving a stagnant economy and dealing with the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.

 

More on “German Elections”

Germany’s Friedrich Merz falls short in 1st vote for chancellor bid – National– globalnews.ca

Source Link
Excerpt:

In a historic first, conservative leader Friedrich Merz ’s bid to become Germany’s 10th chancellor since World War II failed by six votes in parliament on Tuesday, a stunning defeat as he had been widely expected to win smoothly.

A candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot since the end of the war. The loss triggered a stock market slide: the DAX, the index of major German companies, was down 1.8 per cent following the vote.

Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes. He only received 310 votes — well short of the 328 seats held by his coalition, which is also one of the slimmest postwar majorities. Because the vote was held by secret ballot, it was not immediately clear — and might never be known — who had defected from Merz’s camp.

Merz’s coalition is led by his center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. They are joined by the center-left Social Democrats, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party. The parties were now to regroup to discuss the next step but it was also unclear how long the process could take.

‘Just being right-wing is not forbidden’ – Influential mayor of Tübingen and former Green Party member criticizes German government actions against AfD– rmx.news

Source Link
Excerpt:

The influential mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, is harshly criticizing the Office of the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the powerful German domestic spy agency, after it labeled the Alternative for Germany (AfD) a confirmed “right-wing extremist” party. The former Green Party politician, who won Tübingen despite switching to run as an independent, said the secret, 1,000-page report used to justify the AfD’s designation basically just listed public incidents already known to the media.

“Unless Der Spiegel is simply poorly informed, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has compiled primarily what is publicly known,” wrote Palmer.

 

Take your seats, please: Germany’s parliament chamber is rearranged to reflect voters’ verdict – The Independent

pgnewser March 20, 2025

Take your seats, please: Germany’s parliament chamber is rearranged to reflect voters’ verdict – The Independent
Source Link
Excerpt:

German voters have had their say. Now their verdict is being turned into reality underneath the glass dome of Berlin‘s landmark Reichstag building.

Workers on Wednesday rearranged the blue seats in the chamber of the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag.

After each election, the chairs and desks are unscrewed and put back into place to reflect the results, with aisles demarcating the seats held by different parties.

Germany’s Historic Defense Budget Leaves $3 Billion for Ukraine

pgnewser March 19, 2025

Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has scored a huge victory in the form of an historic defense and infrastructure budget deal which happened only after a deal was struck with his future dance partner in power, the Green Party.

The budget, which is now expected to pass after the barrier to its passage was removed, will include $1 trillion for defense and infrastructure, including $3 billion in aid to Ukraine. Merz declared after the agreement was made, “Germany is back. Germany is making its great contribution to the defense of freedom and peace in Europe.”

Germany poised to unlock €3B Ukraine aid after historic spending deal – POLITICO Europe
Source Link
Excerpt:

Germany’s government plans to release €3 billion in military aid for Ukraine following the passage of a historic spending plan this week.

Speaking to lawmakers from his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Tuesday morning, chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz said that the aid package for Ukraine will be released Friday following the expected passage of reforms to the constitution, people familiar with the discussion told POLITICO. Those reforms effectively exempt defense spending and aid for Ukraine from the restraints of Germany’s so-called debt brake, satisfying a key demand of the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The news of the aid release is also timed to coincide with a summit of EU leaders in Brussels later this week in which aid for Ukraine and bolstering Europe’s defenses will be on the agenda.

Why did Germany’s SPD party do so badly in the election? – DW (English)

pgnewser March 4, 2025

Why did Germany’s SPD party do so badly in the election? – DW (English)
Source Link
Excerpt:

The day after Hamburg’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, March 2, cautious optimism was in the air at the Social Democratic Party (SPD) headquarters in Berlin. “The result made us smile,” said party co-chair Saskia Esken.

The SPD won 33.5% of the vote in Hamburg, more than double its February 23rd federal election result of only 16.4%. That was the SPD’s worst federal election result since 1887 ­— back when it was still called the Socialist Workers’ Party of Germany. The Bundestag election reflects a depressing, decades-long downward trend for the party.

The SPD’s 25.7% share in Germany’s last federal election in 2021, now seems to have been an anomaly. Back then, opinion polls had  put the party at 15% for months. Its surprising comeback was due to crucial mistakes by its main rival, the center-right Christian Democratic Party (CDU). Those within SPD ranks later described it like this: “We thought we had won — but it was only that the others had lost.”

German election survey: 1 in 5 voters still undecided – POLITICO Europe

pgnewser February 20, 2025

German election survey: 1 in 5 voters still undecided – POLITICO Europe
Source Link
Excerpt:

Ahead of Germany’s general election on Sunday, a significant number of potential voters remain on the fence, raising the prospect of last-minute swings that could shape the final outcome.

Twenty percent of potential voters will decide who they will vote for in the final days before the election, according to a YouGov poll conducted for the German Press Agency. That includes 7 percent who said they will decide on the day of the election.

Traditional news sources remain the primary source of election information, according to the survey; 63 percent of voters said they get their information from television, newspapers, radio, and online news portals. Conversations with family, friends, and colleagues also play an important role, with 42 percent of respondents relying on personal discussions to shape their decision.