Snap Election in Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is expected to hold a snap election on Feb. 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition last month.

Parties

Germany has two centrist big tent parties: Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the opposition conservatives, an alliance of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
In recent years, however, both have lost support, with smaller parties like the environmental Greens and far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) gaining ground.
The SPD, conservatives, Greens, and AfD are all fielding candidates for chancellor.
Also running are the pro-market Free Democrats (FDP), the far-left Linke, and the leftist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), who are all at risk of missing the 5% threshold to make it into parliament, according to polls.

Polls

The conservatives have been leading nationwide polls for more than two years and are polling 31.5%, according to the latest survey published by INSA, followed by the far-right AfD at 19%.
The ruling SPD has dropped to third place from first in the 2021 election, currently at 17%, with the Greens at 11.5% and BSW at 8%. The FDP and Left party are polling just 4.5% and 3% respectively.
However, analysts say polls can shift quickly, noting that voters are less loyal to parties than in the past, evidenced by the change in positions during the 2021 election campaign where conservatives fell from frontrunner to runner-up.

Policy Debates

• Ukraine: Germany's mainstream parties support helping Ukraine fend off Russia's invasion, unlike the populist AfD and BSW. Scholz has emphasized diplomacy recently, while conservatives, Greens, and FDP favor delivering long-range Taurus missiles.

• Economy: Reviving Germany’s economy will dominate the campaign. Scholz proposes incentivizing private investment and updating infrastructure with a €100 billion fund. Greens' Habeck and CDU's Merz also call for reforms to increase public spending.

• Migration: The AfD wants strict borders and has anti-migration stances. Conservatives advocate for pushing back asylum seekers, while the SPD has also enforced stricter measures but seeks to increase skilled immigration. The Greens promote open asylum policies.

• Energy: High energy prices are a significant election topic. The CDU, SPD, and Greens agree on expanding renewable energy but have different financing approaches. The AfD opposes renewable subsidies and advocates for unrestricted coal operations.