Millions of Germans Have Not Yet Decided Who to Vote for
People walk past political advertising in Germany, Feb. 2025. X/ @RksNews
February 21, 2025 Hour: 9:29 am
The far right could capture an unprecedented number of votes in Sunday’s elections
Nearly 60 million Germans have been called to participate in the general elections taking place next Sunday, in an atmosphere where uncertainty about the results prevails.
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The latest polls, however, indicate a clear victory for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the parties of the outgoing government: Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party.
Up to 30% of the electorate is still undecided, according to data from the polling consultancy Mentefactum, published by the newspaper Bild. This percentage means that more than 17 million voters have yet to decide how they will cast their ballots.
No Time to Decide
“I don’t know who I’m going to vote for. I haven’t had time to study which party to vote for; I still haven’t had time to look at the programs. I will, but I have the feeling that during the campaign, everyone lies,” said Karoline, a middle-aged employee.
Like many Germans, she has not yet been able to focus on an electoral campaign that is one of the shortest in the country’s history. By the time it ends, the campaign will have lasted a total of 58 days—short compared to the months that political contests usually span.
“You have to choose between voting with the country’s stability in mind, something that a strong CDU and SPD would favor, or, on the other hand, voting for a party that best represents your political ideas,” said Clara.
She is concerned about the rise of AfD, which polls suggest could receive up to one-fifth of Sunday’s votes, and the current uncertain international context—challenges for which, she believes, “a politically stable Germany” would be beneficial.
A Difficult Election
“Germans have become too comfortable. They want everything to be done for them. That’s why many are struggling now to choose a party to vote for,” said Thomas, a man who voted by mail and criticized his indecisive compatriots.
Alexander, a young man walking near the Charite University Hospital in Berlin who also voted by mail, was more understanding of Germans who remain undecided. “I can understand the undecided voters. There really isn’t a good choice for Sunday. It feels like the only options are between a bad choice and a less bad one. There’s no good option,” he said.
Jörg Bogumil, a political scientist and professor at the Bochum University, sees Sunday’s election as an opportunity to “sanction the outgoing government,” which until November was composed of a three-party coalition including the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
“The CDU and its leader, Friedrich Merz, are in the lead—not because they are performing particularly well, but because the outgoing government has faced many problems,” Bogumil pointed out, referring to the Christian Democrats’ frontrunner status in the polls and the difficulties Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration has encountered over the past three years.
According to surveys, Sunday’s election results could be as follows: CDU (30.4%), AfD (20.4%), SPD (15.3%), Greens (13.6%), The Left (5.5%), Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (4.4%), and the FDP (4.2%).
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
