Bundestag election: ++ Laschet expects a close election result ++

8:38 am

Laschet expects a close election result

Union top candidate Armin Laschet (CDU) is preparing for a close election result. “We may not know what the future Chancellor looks like on election evening,” he said in the joint morning magazine of ARD and ZDF. Despite the deficit in the surveys, the goal for him is still to conquer first place. The SPD could also try to form a government as the second-placed party. “I’m doing everything I can to get a bourgeois government,” said the CDU leader. In the end, the parties’ programs would have to agree. He reckons that an attempt will be made to forge a left-wing alliance, should this be mathematically possible. Laschet admitted his own mistakes: “There were mistakes in this election campaign.” Now it is a matter of strengthening the economy and maintaining industrial jobs despite climate protection. This is a difficult path.

8:25 am

Lindner does not see himself in the role of the Chancellor

FDP leader Christian Lindner does not see himself in the role of the chancellor. “I don’t really like the word king or chancellor maker, because we are only making a contribution,” said Lindner in the joint morning magazine of ARD and ZDF. “We are part of a majority and we will implement parts of our program, but we must not exaggerate that,” he continued. This year, the formation of a coalition after the election will be “particularly interesting,” emphasized Lindner. “Even the strongest party will not have been voted for by over 70 percent of the people,” he said. This makes the coalition question particularly crucial: “Our goal is: Get as close as possible to the Greens, then we can make a difference, for example in the direction of ‘Jamaica’,” said Lindner.

07:57 am

Scholz wants to make higher minimum wages a core project

According to SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, a higher minimum wage of twelve euros must be a core project of the next federal government. “That has to be decided in the first year, it has to come like this,” said Scholz in the joint morning magazine of ARD and ZDF. It is also about ensuring a stable level of pensions and affordable rents.

7.45 a.m.

Bundestag administration expects office shortages

If, as expected, the Bundestag should have significantly more MPs after the election on Sunday, not all of them will initially have their own offices. The reason for this is that the construction of a new parliament building should not be completed until the end of the year. “With the completion of the modular building, offices for around 840 members will be available by the end of the year,” said Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) to the editorial network Germany (RND). The plenary hall has a much higher capacity. “It will certainly be more problematic in the committees,” said the FDP politician. In this respect, an increase also has “effects on the ability to work”.

The constituent session of the Bundestag is planned for October 26; Group meetings will take place in the coming week. A spokesman for the Bundestag administration told the RND that after the last Bundestag election “the parliamentary groups had offered their new MPs provisional communal offices”. That is to be expected again this time. So far, the Bundestag is busy with 709 parliamentarians, so the new building will be needed one way or another. “Problems arise in a very large Bundestag probably also with some parliamentary groups and committee rooms that are designed for a small number of members,” said the spokesman for the RND.

07:39 am

Lindner prefers a black-green-yellow alliance

FDP leader Christian Lindner hopes for an alliance of the Union, Greens and FDP after the federal election. “That’s why I prefer ‘Jamaica’ if I can,” he said in the joint morning magazine of ARD and ZDF. His party’s goal is to reduce the gap to the Greens as much as possible. The coalition formation after the election will be particularly exciting this time. “It’s not a request concert.” The FDP will probably be able to implement parts of its program, so Lindner.

07:04 am

Weidel: AfD is solid

According to top candidate Alice Weidel, the AfD is in a solid position with values ​​of ten to eleven percent in surveys. The Bundestag election on Sunday is not comparable to the previous election, also because there will be a very high percentage of postal voters, Weidel said in the joint morning magazine of ARD and ZDF. In the most recent state elections, the AfD was the only major party unable to benefit from postal votes.

6:57 am

Wissler: “Above all, we want changes”

The left is ready for a government with the SPD and the Greens, provided that a change of policy in Germany is possible. “Above all, we want changes,” said top candidate Janine Wissler in the joint morning magazine of ARD and ZDF. The left wants, among other things, to enforce a higher minimum wage and protective measures against sharply rising rents. When asked about a commitment to NATO, she said that it was not about making commitments, that Germany could not dissolve the defense alliance on its own anyway. The left rejects higher spending for the Bundeswehr and wants to stop arms exports.

06:36 am

Söder: “It will be a blink of an eye finale”

CSU boss and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder expects a blink of an eye final in the federal election on Sunday. As he told the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”, the CSU boss is critical of a junior partnership or possible formation of a government from second place: “The fact is: Either the Union is ahead, then it can form a government. Or the SPD, then she will do anything to set up a government without us. I am sure of it. ” According to Söder, a new edition of the GroKo would also be more of a mere “business as usual”: “In addition to the political waves of the last few weeks, there is a desire for some fundamental renovations in society after 16 years.”

06:35 am

Climate protest by Fridays for Future shortly before the election

Shortly before the federal election, the climate protection movement Fridays for Future is taking to the streets once again nationwide in a large-scale climate strike. According to the movement, which is mainly supported by young people, demonstrations are planned in more than 400 cities. These start at different times depending on the location, the first protests start around 9 a.m. In Berlin, the protests begin at 12 noon in the Bundestag. The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who significantly inspired the global Fridays for Future campaigns, is also there.

06:33 am

Major rallies of the parties for the final spurt of the election campaign

Two days before the federal election, the parties are campaigning for votes again today at large rallies. The joint final rally for the Bundestag election of the CDU and CSU will take place in Munich (4.30 p.m.). In addition to Union chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU), Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and CSU boss Markus Söder will also be speakers at the Nockherberg – a large beer garden with an inn.

SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz speaks at a rally in Cologne (3:00 p.m.), Green top candidate Annalena Baerbock and co-party chairman Robert Habeck will come to Düsseldorf for the high point of the election campaign (3:30 p.m.). The FDP, Left Party and AfD are also trying to convince voters at election campaign events.

06:31 am

Federal Returning Officer expects a record for postal votes

Federal Returning Officer Georg Thiel expects that a particularly large number of voters will vote by postal vote in the Bundestag election because of the pandemic. “We are assuming a doubling compared to the 2017 federal election,” Thiel told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Four years ago, a good 13.4 million eligible voters used the option of postal voting. This corresponded to a national average of 28.6 percent. “It was the highest level since postal voting was introduced in 1957,” said the Federal Returning Officer. This time you will come to over 40 percent.

6:30 a.m.

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