Who’s who and why this vote is important

On February 23, German voters who will run their upcoming government, with the conservative Christian Democrats from Frederich Mirz, decide to become the largest party in power.

Control of immigration and the revival of the largest economy of the European Union are the main issues in these sudden elections, which they cause Collapse Late last year.

We evaluate what you need to know before voting for the next Germany, The Bundestag.

These elections are held against the backdrop of a series of deadly attacks that have increased pressure on the main parties to reform the rules of immigration and asylum.

The Germans were already reeling from four deadly attacks, in Mannheim, Solinjin, Magdburg and Affinburg, when the mother and her two -year -old daughter were deadly injured in an attack on cars in Munich, who is alleged to be an Afghan citizen, 10 days ago election.

These attacks have strengthened support for the far -right alternative to Germany (AFD).

Although no other party is ready to allow AFD to enter the government, if they occupy the second rank and attract 20 % of the votes, they can double the number of seats in Bundestag.

Germany is also the largest economy in Europe and after two years of decline, the responsibility of the next government lies with it and reviving the German industry. Germany was exposed due to the high energy prices and the harsh Chinese competition.

The Germans between the ages of 18 or more will decide on their parliament from 08: 00-18: 00 on February 23.

There are five candidates for the advisor.

If the largest party can secure an alliance deal with one of the other parties or two parties, the president will usually nominate his leader as a consultant. Then Parliament will make a secret poll.

Candidates in the race to operate Germany Friedrich MirzThe Christian Democrats (CDU) reach 10 points in opinion polls. He was chosen as a candidate for the consultant before Marcus Soder, the leader of his sister’s party in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union.

He is 69 and 198 cm (6 feet and 6 inches), Mirz is a social governor, a supporter of business, who spent years waiting in the wings.

He eventually left politics in CDU by Angela Merkel in 2002, ultimately left politics, worked on investment bank boards and took a flying as an amateur pilot.

The first two offers for Mires to win the leadership of CDU, against Merkel in 2018, then Armin Lasheet, who went to lose the German elections in 2021.

Mirz then seized CDU and runs under the slogan “Germany we can be proud of it again.”

He promised permanent border controls and the fastest asylum rules to restrict immigration, reduce taxes and reduce 50 billion euros of spending on social welfare in an attempt to start the struggling economy of Germany. He also promised to enhance aid to Ukraine.

But he sparked an angry violent reaction before the elections when he sought to tighten the rules of immigration by relying on the right -wing AFD voices, and eventually failed.

Although Mirz excluded work with AFD, former CDU adviser Angela Merkel said he was “wrong” to accept AFD voices and faced major protests.

He also promised more leadership from Germany in Europe, strengthened support for Ukraine, and refused to exclude NATO membership in the future.

Olaf Schools He has already served more than three years as a consultant, at the head of an unpopular coalition that collapsed in a row due to the relief of strict debt rules in Germany.

His government has struggled from the beginning, due to the impact of the full war of Russia in Ukraine on the German economy.

Germany has become the biggest help in Ukraine in Europe. Schools spoke about a Zeitenwende (A turning point) in strengthening the German defense policy and military spending – but it was accused of working slowly or very late. European support for Ukraine is now “for the longest necessity” and rejects the idea of ​​any peace dictating.

Schouls supported the fastest deportation than the failed asylum seekers and his re -imposed government on the borders that he says has led to a decrease in asylum requests by a third in one year.

Social Democrats at the SPD want to create a “German Fund” to enhance investment and raise the minimum wage to 15 euros (12.50 pounds) per hour from 12.82 euros.

Many people in the party believe that the Boris Pistorius colleague should have been allowed to run for the consultant instead.

However, the party joined the conservatives in the past, and although Schools said he could no longer trust Mirz, socialist Democrats remain potential partners.

Is it not46, AFD’s first candidate for the consultant since the party was created in 2013. It has also surrendered to support billionaire Elon Musk, and he was rewarded with a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Munich.

Weidel has a little opportunity to win power, but it has become common for young voters in Tiktok and her party in her eyes within four years.

AFD led Tino Chrupalla, and has already received one modern victory, in the September state elections in Thuringia in the East.

Elon Musk said that the former Goldan Sachs analyst could not be a right -wing extremist because she “has a partner of the same sex from Lanka.”

However, she supported the mass deportation of migrants, as it embraced the “Remigration” – which she knows as deportation criminals and “illegal” migrants.

It also wants to end sanctions against Russia and repair the destroyed stream pipelines. She wants to demolish wind turbines, which she calls “air mills from shame”, although they now provide a quarter of electricity in Germany.

The party’s supporters rejoiced by the slogan Alice Four Deutselland (Alice for Germany), which seems similar to the banned Nazi logo Alles Four Deutschend.

Robert Habek The Greens played a major role in the Shuls government as a vice president of the economy.

But one of his pioneering policies, which abandoned the fossil fuel heating systems in Germany, had to reduce and divide into government reconnaissance assessments. He refuses any return to nuclear energy, and calls for more access to renewable energy, which by the end of last year provided 63.4 % of the electricity needs in Germany.

HABECK, 55, has a strong line on Ukraine’s help, and he criticized Freders Mirz’s power to rely on AFD votes in Parliament.

Relations with Friedrich Mirz are embarrassing, after he accused CDU of canceling the rehabilitation of himself as a consultant, but the Greens can still return to the government.

Like AFD Alice Weidel, Sahra Wagenknecht And her party in BSW is due to closer relations with Russia and a girl with a strong support base in East Germany.

Wagenknecht calls its “Al -Mawqi” policy and presents itself as an alternative to AFD, and has supported strict borders on asylum and immigration.

She participates AFD opposition to German military support for Ukraine and accused the Kremlin’s hero on the war.

But it may struggle to reach the national threshold by 5 % to reach Parliament.

The elections are usually made to Bundestag every four years – this elections were scheduled to be on September 28, 2025, but it was presented due to the collapse of the Schulz government.

More than 18s get two votes.

One is the election of Bundestag members directly in 299 electoral districts. The second is the choice of a political party in one of the 16 countries in which it lives.

Any party that wins 5 % of this second vote is allowed to enter Bundestag, then use their case lists to choose their deputies.

The complex voting rules that mean that the outgoing parliament has been canceled 733 seats. This means that Bundestag in Germany will reach a total of 630 seats – which is more than 100 seats.

However, it will remain one of the old rules. Any party that failed to survey 5 % of the vote can still enter, if it wins three of the 299 electoral districts.

CDU and CSU parties are preferred to win the largest seats, but by excluding an alliance with AFD Merz, potential partners ’options in the government have narrowed.

This makes the deal most likely with or both SPD and Grens.

Many people visit SPD to work with Merz after the deportation row, but the so -called large coalition on both sides.