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Voting begins in high-stakes German election watched closely by Europe and US
BBC ^ | Feb 23 | BBC

Posted on 02/23/2025 3:06:12 AM PST by RandFan

Germans are going to the polls after an intense election campaign dominated by their country's faltering economy and a succession of deadly attacks that have made migration and security a focal issue.

Friedrich Merz, the 69-year-old conservative leader, is in pole position to become Germany's next chancellor, in a vote closely watched in Europe and the US.

He promises to fix most problems in four years - a tall order for Europe's biggest economy and a creaking infrastructure.

If Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) win, he will need to forge an alliance with at least one other party, most likely Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, whose government collapsed late last year.

On the eve of the vote, Merz was adamant there would be no deal with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is poised to become the second biggest political force, ahead of Scholz's centre-left party.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Germany; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afd
Today / later will be interesting dominated by the federal elections in Germany
1 posted on 02/23/2025 3:06:12 AM PST by RandFan
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To: RandFan

Germany has plurality voting for a reason...


2 posted on 02/23/2025 3:09:08 AM PST by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away!)
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To: RandFan

Gesundheit.


3 posted on 02/23/2025 3:11:51 AM PST by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: mewzilla
This is a cluster...

A quick guide to German elections On the surface, the German electoral system is similar to that of most other Western countries, although it does have its own quirks and peculiarities. DW explains.

4 posted on 02/23/2025 3:15:24 AM PST by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away!)
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To: RandFan

If they keep importing their achient enemy, that enemy will eventually win. Afd seems to be the only party concerned about this.


5 posted on 02/23/2025 3:25:28 AM PST by Nateman (Democrats did not strive for fraud friendly voting merely to continue honest elections.)
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To: RandFan

“These European parties do not correspond with the American political chessboard.”

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4299713/posts


6 posted on 02/23/2025 3:31:45 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: RandFan

They better learn to start speaking Arabic. Bye bye Mozart and Beethoven, the only music they will be allowed to hear is the Islamic call to prayer over the loudspeakers several times a day.


7 posted on 02/23/2025 3:54:24 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: RandFan

Just like most “sane” political parties in Europe, the AfD will be destroyed if they win.

The WEF socialists will do what they have done before....fabricate crimes, scandals and whatever else they can contrive to diminish the AfD.


8 posted on 02/23/2025 3:54:39 AM PST by Erik Latranyi (This is the end of the Republic....because we could not keep it.)
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To: RandFan

A kings mother once said, Do not give your power to women


9 posted on 02/23/2025 4:02:24 AM PST by conserv8
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Jean-Marie LePen may very well have been an anti-semite; it’s hard to figure his skepticism of the holocaust in any other terms. But to say he was an ally of Israel’s enemies, especially in the context of the mainstream parties of France, which firmly, resolutely, thoroughly sided with Islamofascists at every turn, is just plain unreasonable.


10 posted on 02/23/2025 4:20:00 AM PST by dangus
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To: RandFan

Fred Mertz will be the Head of Germany. /s


11 posted on 02/23/2025 4:23:15 AM PST by DFG
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To: RandFan

If the AfD does well, Germany will either annul the election as Romania recently did or will fabricate the results.


12 posted on 02/23/2025 4:42:22 AM PST by thegagline (Sic semper tyrannis! Trump & Vance, 2024! (Formerly) Goldwater & Thomas Sowell)
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To: DFG

##Fred Mertz head of Germany##

Yes, that was the first picture in my mind!!


13 posted on 02/23/2025 4:52:24 AM PST by Don@VB (THE NEW GREEN DEAL IS JUST THE OLD RED DEAL)
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To: RandFan

Unconfirmed sources are saying that Friedrich Merz’s campaign slogan is, “Hey Ethel, what’s holding up dinner?”


14 posted on 02/23/2025 5:42:26 AM PST by Don@VB (THE NEW GREEN DEAL IS JUST THE OLD RED DEAL)
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To: DFG; Don@VB

Ethel will be a great first lady!


15 posted on 02/23/2025 6:57:18 AM PST by irishjuggler
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To: RandFan
If Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) win, he will need to forge an alliance with at least one other party, most likely Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats,

In other words, nothing will change.

16 posted on 02/23/2025 7:02:59 AM PST by Opinionated Blowhard (When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.)
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To: RandFan

“Friedrich Merz, the 69-year-old conservative leader”

Wasn’t Merkel a so called “conservative”, too.

“he will need to forge an alliance with at least one other party, most likely Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, whose government collapsed late last year.”

In other words, nothing is going to change.


17 posted on 02/23/2025 7:03:29 AM PST by aquila48 (Do not let them make you "care" ! Guilting you i9s how they. control you. )
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To: RandFan

I expect shenanigans...but also for other parties to form ‘alliances’ to subvert the AfD if they get a majority (if I understand correctly). Or just null-and-void the election.


18 posted on 02/23/2025 7:07:45 AM PST by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing of poor moral choices among everybody)
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