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Elections in Germany: Meet the main candidates to replace Angela Merkel |  Globalism

Elections in Germany: Meet the main candidates to replace Angela Merkel | Globalism

After four terms and 16 years in power, Angela Merkel The post of prime minister will be left to Germany. His replacement will be decided in the legislative elections Sunday (26), and although there are more candidates, three of them are considered the main candidates, having advanced in the ballot at some point with a chance of winning.

first appearance Olaf Schultz of the Christian Democratic Party (SPD), center left. The current Minister of Economy and Vice-Chancellor, is part of the coalition that supports the Merkel government, and his possible victory would practically mark a continuation of most of the current policies.

Schulz is a 63-year-old lawyer specializing in labor law who has been a member of the Social Democratic Party since 1975 and was first elected to the Bundestag, the German parliament, in 1998. He was also Minister of Labor and Mayor of Hamburg.

Extremely pragmatic, he was once the target of jokes when he was called “Scholzomat,” a joke in his name and the word “robot,” suggesting that he would be more a machine than a human.

Cyclists pass billboards for the three main candidates for German prime minister: Olaf Schulz of the SPD, Annalena Birbock of the Greens and Armin Laschet of the Social Democratic Union (CDU), pictured Sept. 23 – Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Merkel’s candidate, in this case, is Armin Laschet, from the same party as the prime minister, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). It started doing well in the polls, but its response in the government of North Rhine-Westphalia – the country’s most populous state – to the Covid crises and floods that have left more than 100 people dead in the country left something to be desired.

To make matters worse, he does not convey a security image and does not usually respond directly when asked about his plans and proposals, which does not go unnoticed by voters and the press who demand more assertiveness in their speeches and actions.

The only woman who has any real chance of racing, Annalena Baerbock, do Green Party, the youngest person to rule Germany in history, at just 40 years old.

Special session of the German parliament, photo January 17, 2019 – Photo: AP Photo/Marcus Schreiber

She even led the polls, but only for a short time. He soon became the target of a series of criticisms and demands, and admits that he made “mistakes” in his campaign.

The German press also cited inexperience – Bierbock never held a government position – as one of the reasons for his poor performance in pressure situations.

Today, even with no chance of winning, Leerbuck is instrumental in deciding the name of the future chancellor, as the Greens’ support should be crucial to the coalition that will form a majority capable of governing.