Polling stations in Germany opened Sunday for pivotal snap national elections, which are expected to see conservatives regain power and the far-right scoring its best-ever result as Europe’s ailing economic powerhouse lurches rightwards. After weeks of campaigns dominated by Germany’s faltering economy and a succession of deadly attacks that have made migration and security a focal issue, Germans are voting to choose a government that will have to tackle the breakdown of the transatlantic alliance under US President Donald Trump and new threats to European security. The most likely outcome of this election, analysts said, is a tie-up of Merz’s conservative bloc of Christian Democrats (CDU) with the SPD, which is polling in third place in another \”grand coalition\”, according to pollster Gallup. Some also hope Merz will reform the \”debt\” of the government that has promised to fix most problems in four years – a tall order for Europe’s big-tentive economy. Still, the post-poll survey suggests another three-way coalition may be necessary if several small parties make the 5 per cent threshold to enter parliament, complicating talks. \”I just hope enough parties agree to a government so they can leave the AfD out,\” said Mike Zeller, 26, a 26-year-old member of the German government.
