Federal election 2021: “Every vote counts”

Several top politicians have already cast their votes – and emphasized the importance of this federal election. The polling stations are open until 6 p.m. The newly elected Bundestag is due to meet for the first time on October 26th.

The general election began in the morning, and around 60,000 polling stations in Germany opened at 8 a.m. By 6 p.m., almost 60.4 million citizens are invited to vote.

In the morning, several top politicians cast their votes: Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender voted in Berlin. SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz went to the polling station with his wife Britta Ernst, the Brandenburg education minister, at his place of residence in Potsdam. After the vote, he asked again for votes for the SPD: “So that the citizens give me the mandate to become the next Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Also at her place of residence in Potsdam, Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock, accompanied by her husband Daniel Holefleisch, went to vote. She said she was hoping for a few more votes than in the previous polls. She invited “everyone to vote in order to create a real departure” and spoke of a “holiday of democracy”.

Laschet’s ballot valid despite faux pas

CDU Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet took part in the election with his wife Susanne in Aachen. He said the general election would determine Germany’s direction in the next few years. “And that’s why every vote counts.” Where he himself had put his cross was clearly visible to everyone present: Laschet had folded the ballot paper incorrectly. Federal Returning Officer Georg Thiel sees no problem in this: “A nationally known politician has elected his own party as expected. It cannot be seen to influence voters,” tweeted Thiel. The ballot is valid.

Steinmeier calls for voting

CSU boss Markus Söder and his wife Karin voted in Nuremberg. “There is no more difficult day than election day because you wait and wait and wait and hope to get some good signal,” said Söder.

Steinmeier had previously called for a vote. “Let’s vote together – for a strong democracy and a good future,” he wrote in a guest post for “Bild am Sonntag”. “Every vote counts – your vote counts. So I ask you to vote today!” With their cross, the voters could have a say in which government Germany would lead in the future.

It is expected that this time, more people than ever before will cast their votes by postal vote. According to the Federal Returning Office, the proportion could be at least 40 percent. In 2017, 28.6 percent of those eligible to vote already made use of postal votes. The turnout four years ago was 76.2 percent.

Constituent session probably on October 26th

The newly elected Bundestag is expected to meet for the first time on October 26th. According to the Bundestag administration, the Council of Elders decided unanimously. Above all, the President of the Bundestag and his deputy are elected in the constituent session. The Presidium and all parliamentary groups are represented in the Council of Elders. He determines the meeting weeks and the agendas. October 26th is the last possible day for this first session. Because according to Article 39 of the Basic Law, the newly elected Bundestag meets for the first time no later than 30 days after the election.

At the same time as the federal election, a new state parliament is elected in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the state parliament is elected in the state of Berlin. The SPD can count on election victories in both federal states. A referendum is also being held in Berlin on the expropriation of housing stocks from large real estate groups. However, the result is not legally binding for the Senate.

SPD ahead in polls

The SPD with Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz led in recent polls just ahead of the Union with its candidate Armin Laschet (CDU). Well behind were the Greens with Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock. The FDP is aiming for a double-digit result again.

However, opinion polls are only snapshots of the political mood and say nothing about the election result. This applies even more to this election because of the high number of still undecided voters. In the federal election in 2017, the CDU and CSU had become the strongest force with 32.9 percent. The SPD came to 20.5 percent, the AfD was the third strongest force with 12.6 percent. It was followed by the FDP (10.7 percent), the Left (9.2) and the Greens with 8.9 percent.