From far-right gains to the economy: What’s at stake in Germany’s election?
Al Jazeera
Germans will head to the polls early next year after the coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.
Berlin, Germany – In some countries, a snap election is held in a matter of weeks.
Germany, by contrast, will enjoy a leisurely three months before it goes to the polls in an election that is likely to be overshadowed by the return of Donald Trump to the White House, an increasingly perilous situation in Ukraine, and a flagging domestic economy.
Germany’s ruling “traffic light” coalition, formed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) collapsed on November 6, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed his finance minister, FDP leader Christian Lindner.
Scholz has announced a vote of confidence will take place on December 16. The snap poll is expected to take place on February 23.
The three-way alliance formed after the 2021 elections was a rarity for Germany, and the FDP’s fiscal hawkishness always made an uneasy marriage with its centre-left partners, who campaigned in the 2021 elections on increased social and climate spending.
