Germany is heading to the polls today to determine the 21st Federal Parliament (Bundestag) in early general elections. While the Christian Democrats are expected to come out on top at the ballot box, surveys predict that the far-right AfD will for the first time secure second place in the federal elections. The elections seem to bring back a center-right chancellor and show record support for the far right post-war. Parties will face their first tests with the new election system in this election.

Germany is going to early elections today after the coalition government, which has been in power for three years, collapsed in November 2024 due to disagreements over budget and economic policies.

Olaf Scholz and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) are bracing for a crushing defeat in the elections.

The elections seem to bring back a center-right chancellor and show record support for the far right post-war.

WHO IS VOTING IN GERMANY? In the country, 30.6 million women, 59.2 million voters will cast their votes to determine 630 members of parliament in 299 electoral districts. 2.3 million young people will vote for the first time in the elections. Approximately 7.1 million voters of foreign origin, including 1 million Turks, will reflect their political preferences at the ballot box. In the elections, where a total of 29 parties will participate, 4,506 candidates, including 1422 women, will compete to become members of parliament. In the elections where Turkish-origin individuals put forward parliamentary candidacies from different parties, 53 Turkish candidates were nominated in parties with a chance to enter parliament. In 16 states, 675 thousand people will serve at the ballot boxes for the elections, and citizens will be able to vote from 08.00 to 18.00 local time.