Germany's election race hots up as end of Merkel era nears

FRANKFURT • Germany goes to the polls on Sunday in an election that will see Dr Angela Merkel step down after 16 years in power, sparking a knife-edge race to lead Europe's biggest economy.

As Dr Merkel is the first chancellor not to seek re-election since 1949, her decision to bow out sets the country synonymous with stability on course for change no matter who wins the final count.

Western allies are watching nervously, wary of an uncertain outcome and coalition negotiations that would blunt for weeks, if not months, the European power's participation in the international scene.

For Dr Merkel's centre-right CDU-CSU bloc, the stakes could hardly be higher. Their pick for chancellor, the affable but gaffe-prone Mr Armin Laschet, 60, has seen his popularity dwindle since he was caught chuckling during a tribute to victims of floods in July.

The conservatives now face the prospect not just of losing the chancellery, but also of being booted out of government altogether - unless Mr Laschet can pull off one of his trademark last-minute comebacks.

His main rival is Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 63, from the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) - junior partners in three out of four Merkel-led governments. Often described as capable but boring, Mr Scholz has cast himself as a safe pair of hands and the natural Merkel heir.

The latest opinion polls put Mr Scholz's SPD in the lead with around 25 per cent support, but the gap with the conservatives has narrowed in recent days to just 3 per cent. Polling in third place at around 15 per cent are the centre-left Greens poised to play a key role in post-election coalition haggling.

Climate change has emerged as a top voter concern among the 60.4 million people eligible to vote, including about 2.8 million able to do so for the first time.

The Greens' candidate for chancellor, Ms Annalena Baerbock, 40, has warned that the next government "will be the last that can still actively influence the climate crisis".

Huge crowds are set to take to the streets today for a global climate demonstration, while young climate activists have been on hunger strike outside the Reichstag Parliament in Berlin.

After steering Germany safely through crises such as the 2009 to 2010 euro zone financial crunch, a massive refugee influx in 2015 and the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Merkel leaves behind an economic powerhouse in relatively robust health.

But critics say years of under-investment in infrastructure and education have left the European Union's most populous country unprepared for a greener and more digital future, while social inequality has worsened.

The unpredictable election is expected to yield a number of coalition options. Tortuous coalition talks are likely to drag on for weeks, possibly months, keeping Dr Merkel in office a little longer.

The veteran leader has been tight-lipped about what she will do next, but she has said she pictures herself reading and maybe taking "a little nap".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE