Germany votes in early elections: four candidates vie for power

Polling stations for early elections to the Bundestag have opened in Germany. This is reported by AP, according to UNN.

Details

On Sunday, Germany elects a new leader in an election seven months ahead of schedule. Four politicians are running for the key post in the country: the current head of government, a representative of the opposition, the vice chancellor, and, for the first time, a candidate from the far-right.

The election campaign is unfolding amid political instability following the collapse of the coalition led by Olaf Scholz.

This is only the fourth time in Germany's modern history that the parliament has been dissolved early in accordance with the constitution.

The main contenders for the post of chancellor:

Olaf Scholz is the current chancellor, a representative of the Social Democrats.

Friedrich Merz is the leader of the conservative bloc.

Robert Habeck is a vice chancellor nominated by the Greens.

Alice Weidel is a candidate of the far-right AfD party.

Polling stations have already opened across the country, and citizens are actively participating in the process. Given the peculiarities of the electoral system, no party is likely to win an absolute majority, according to opinion polls. This means that the future government is likely to be formed through coalition negotiations.

After the polls close on Sunday, preliminary exit polls will be released, and the final official data is expected on Monday morning.

Recall

These voting results could affect aid to Ukraine, refugee policy, and Berlin's position in the war with Russia.

German elections on February 23: what will change for Ukraine19.02.25, 14:14 • 316583 views