Carsten Nickel, a Managing Director with Teneo, says voters in Germany have been caught in a dilemma. They are struggling to elect a new leader of the Bundestag. Social Democrat Olaf Scholz won against his rival, CDU leader Armin Laschet, in a televised election debate on September 26. This victory made him a step closer to becoming the successor of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
This round of TV debates became a complete failure for Armin Laschet. He ruined his last chance to become Germany’s new chief executive. Laschet seems to be lagging behind Olaf Scholz all the time. Meanwhile, many German voters cannot accept the fact that Frau Merkel is not participating in the election. Experts call it the Angela Merkel effect.
The Allensbach Institute conducted a survey in September that revealed the fact that around 40% of respondents did not know who to vote for. Many of them gave preference to neither of the candidates and expressed regret about not seeing Angela Merkel among them. According to voters, she brought stability not only to Germany but also to Europe.
During 16 years of her tenure as Chancellor, Angela Merkel led Europe’s largest economy through the global financial and migration crises. Her competent management helped the country deal with the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining a sense of stability among Germany’s citizens.
Both Olaf Scholz and Armin Laschet also promise voters stability. However, neither of them is viewed as a strong leader. So far, their parties have received no more than 20% of the vote. Speaking of the green party, it made a great start but then lost all its achievements. It currently takes third place in the ranking.
Many German voters have decided to send their votes by post. Yet, they were undecided and did not send their ballots at all. Such uncertainty was not good for either Alternative for Germany (AfD) or its opponents. According to the Allensbach Institute, 87% of the surveyed have not yet made a decision about whom to elect. People simply distrust the current leaders. So, they are likely to vote for the lesser of two evils.
Voters have mixed views about the AfD. The party was established in 2017 and stood for anti-immigration. It has gained only 10% of the vote. For that reason, Scholz may clinch the victory.
The presence of Angela Merkel in the election, although she is not running for the fifth term, is important for the population. German voters are concerned about who will be at the helm of the Bundestag and determine the country's future. The election of a worthy successor is now at the top of the agenda in Germany.
