German voters started to cast their ballots on Sunday to elect a new Bundestag, or the federal parliament, on which to form a new government for the next four years and usher in the post-Merkel era.
Germany is paying tribute on Sunday to the nearly 80,000 people it has lost to the coronavirus, even as the country struggles to get a grip on another rise in infections.
Germany’s president has been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot, a signal of confidence in the vaccine after the country restricted its use in people under 60.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party suffered clear defeats in two German state elections on Sunday at the hands of popular governors from parties further to the left, according to projections.
Elections in two German states on Sunday pose a difficult test for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, six months before a national vote that will determine who succeeds the country’s longtime leader.
Two German states choose new legislatures on Sunday, the first major political test of a year in which a national election will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel.
German lawmakers say they plan to question Chancellor Angela Merkel and her deputy, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, about their involvement with the collapsed payment systems provider Wirecard next month.
