The final crucial election in the European continent will take place in Germany on September 24th. Incumbent German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hoping to become Germany’s longest serving chancellor by winning the fourth term as chancellor in September’s election. She herself has acknowledged that this year’s re-election is likely to the toughest she has faced since her first election as chancellor. Some of the polls suggest that she could be losing to her coalition partner’s candidate Martin Schultz could beat her to become the next chancellor of Germany. Also, the anti-establishment right wing party, Alternative for Germany (AfD) is set to enter parliament for the first time since its founding in 2013. They might become the third largest party in the general election.
However, the recent regional election in Saarland, Merkel’s CDU has received a major boost and it was the biggest setback for Mr. Schultz so far. Mrs. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) secured 40.7 percent of all votes, an increase of 5.5 percent compared to the previous election. Mr. Schultz, who campaigned vigorously in this local election, received 29.6 percent of all votes, down from 30.4 percent in the previous election. The left party received 12.9 percent of all votes, while Germany’s newcomer Alternative for Germany (AfD) received 6.2 percent of the votes.
This election resultdemands anyone, who has been discounting Merkel’s win in September based on polls should have a second thought.