Sunday’s election may be the last chance for the country’s mainstream political parties

 


As the clock ticks down on the campaign, Germany’s embattled political class needs to show it can fix past mistakes. 

But the division on display in the Bundestag and beyond raises questions about whether the mainstream is up to the task in what looks like its last chance to turn things around.

Persistent weakness in Europe’s biggest economy would compound instability stemming from the collapse of centrist parties in France and Italy and the rise of pro-Russia movements in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. 

The transatlantic relationship is in tatters as Donald Trump’s administration looks to sidestep the European Union in a deal with Vladimir Putin to end fighting in Ukraine.

In the middle of all this is Germany. As the world’s third-largest economy (RE:?), it has the economic muscle to stamp its authority on Europe, but its political will is in doubt.

Bloomberg 19 February 2025

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-02-19/german-election-afd-rises-in-polls-against-backdrop-of-spreading-anxiety


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