It’s been said that German elections are usually dull affairs. Well, whether that’s been true in the past, it’s certainly not true this time – it’s definitely not boring, bloody complicated.
Ahead of polling day on Sunday 23rd, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is in second place in opinion polls, at around 22%, behind the CDU/CSU conservatives, at around 30%.
The partners who make up the current red-green-yellow “traffic light” government are all lagging behind – the SPD Social Democrats are on 17%, and the Greens are on 13%. The smaller Liberal FDP joins the far-left Linke and BSW Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance in struggling to reach the 5% threshold to qualify for parliament.
To dig through the results, explain the acronyms, parse what difference the voting system makes, and explore the ramifications for us in the UK, Frances will be joined by Ronja Endres.
Ronja sits on the the SPD party executive and is co-chair of the Bavarian SPD. A proud trade unionist, she works at the PECO institute, where she helps train young people in sustainable construction and technologies of the future. With a country at the crossroads and more speakers to be confirmed, this is not one to be missed.
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