European election campaign conclusion for union, Green and left
The European election campaign will be concluded today by the Union, the Greens and the Left. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz will appear in Munich this evening. According to polls in Germany, the CDU/CSU is clearly ahead for the European elections next Sunday.
The Greens will end their campaign in Cologne in the afternoon, with speakers such as party leaders Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour and top candidate Terry Reintke. The Left will end its campaign in Potsdam, led by party leaders Janine Wissler, Martin Schirdewan and co-top candidate Carola Rackete. The SPD will follow on Saturday in Duisburg with speeches by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, among others. The FDP has already held its campaign closing in Düsseldorf.
A debate on current European policy is also on the agenda in the Bundestag today.
Union clearly leads in polls
According to the ZDF Politbarometer Extra, the Union is the strongest force in Germany for the European elections, while the Greens must expect losses compared to the last election. The Union would currently be at 30 percent, slightly improving on its 2019 result. The Greens, on the other hand, are at 14 percent, after receiving 20.5 percent in the last election.
In the current survey, AfD and SPD are each at 14 percent, while the FDP is at 4 percent and the Left at 3 percent. Sahra Wagenknecht's new alliance achieved 7 percent in the survey.
A high percentage of respondents show great interest in the election, indicating a similar turnout as in 2019.
Europe votes from Thursday to Sunday
The European elections have already begun in the Netherlands, where a neck-and-neck race is taking place between a red-green coalition and Geert Wilders' party. A total of 360 million Europeans, including 61 million Germans, will decide on 720 members of the EU Parliament.
In other countries, including Germany, there are no percentage hurdles for entry into the EU Parliament. However, Germany plans to reintroduce a hurdle of at least two percent in the next European elections in 2029.
SPD sets conditions for support for von der Leyen
The SPD has made demands on the future EU Commission and tied its support for Ursula von der Leyen to conditions. Cooperation with right-wing conservative forces could endanger support for European social democracy.
Source: nachrichten.ag
