Germans are about to head to the polls on Sunday after a high-stakes campaign centred on the economy and immigration. Euronews spoke to residents of Cologne about their expectations.
ADVERTISEMENTResidents of the German city of Cologne are all raring to go out and vote — yet some are anxious about the future of their country as they head to the polls this coming Sunday.
Germany’s unexpectedly short election campaign, which began after Chancellor Olaf Scholz called an early election last December, has been marked by a consistently poor economic outlook and several attacks carried out by migrants, thrusting immigration and the economy into the spotlight.
Despite this, some voters in Cologne expressed optimism about their economic fortunes.
“Things are going well in our business. Although winter, which is the period with the highest sales, is now slowly coming to an end. But things are still going well,” said Renate August, a local business owner.
For restaurant owner Selin Kahraman, “It’s a bit difficult. The rents are super high. Food is also getting more and more expensive in a short space of seven weeks.”
“I am very restless. I’m very anxious about voting. I have a lot of concerns. I really hope that the person who can best represent Germany wins in the end.”
However, Kahraman nonetheless feels that business is generally going well despite some forecasts predicting that Germany will be the weakest-performing economy out of all 27 EU member states in 2025.
Others expressed dissatisfaction about the gap between the rich and the poor.
“Nothing is going well. Well, what’s most important to me is social justice. It doesn’t exist at all, and it’s getting worse and worse. The gap between rich and poor is widening,” Rene from Berlin told Euronews.
“Something has to change in Germany,” said a separate voter, while another said they are for “prosperity and tolerance. I’m voting for tolerance, and mainly against the AfD.”
The latest polls predict that the country’s largest opposition party, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), will come in first place with 29% of the vote, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20%.
Olaf Scholz’s centre-left SPD is predicted to receive 16% followed by the Greens with 13%.
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