German parties rally support ahead of election

Germany's political parties prepared to rally their supporters and win over undecided voters Friday, two days before a national election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after 16 years in power. Merkel's center-right Union bloc and its candidate for chancellorship, Armin Laschet, have made small gains in the polls in recent weeks. But it remains narrowly behind the center-left Social Democrats, headed by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. The Greens, who are putting forward their own candidate for chancellor for the first time, are trailing in third place, but could play kingmakers when it comes to forming a government. Merkel's party has struggled to energize its traditional base, which has so far failed to warm to Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state. "The key question is whether these voters will overcome the Laschet hurdle and vote for the Union despite Laschet" said Peter Matuschek of the polling company Forsa. "Or will they abstain from the vote or even choose another party." The Union bloc will hold its last big rally in Munich, while the Social Democrats are holding an event in the western city of Cologne. The Greens will stage their rally in nearby Duesseldorf. Climate change has been cited as the most important issue by many in this election - youth groups plan to stage a large protest outside the chancellery Friday to demand tougher action on climate change. "When making their election decision, people naturally don't just look at one issue, but actually want to know which party they are most likely to trust to solve this multitude of problems. In other words, topics are one thing, but what people trust the parties to do is another decisive factor," Matuschek said, adding that the issue of climate is the most important for the Green voters, but for many other voters, groups or party supporters, it is an important issue, but only one among many. The economy and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic have also played an important role during the campaign. About 60.4 million Germans are eligible to vote for a new parliament on Sept. 26. The strongest party will seek to form a governing coalition.

Advertisement

German parties rally support ahead of election

Germany's political parties prepared to rally their supporters and win over undecided voters Friday, two days before a national election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after 16 years in power.

Advertisement