Exit polls suggest Merkel poised to win fourth term as German chancellor

The polls also suggested that the anti-migrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany party will enter the national parliament for the first time with 13 to 13.5 per cent support

The Associated Press, September 23, 2017, 6:16 AM EDT,  Last Updated, September 24, 2017, 12:25 PM EDT, http://nationalpost.com/news/m...-voters-in-last-push

BERLIN — Exit polls suggest Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc has finished first in Germany’s election, putting her in a position to lead the country for a fourth term.

Exit polls conducted for public television channels ARD and ZDF suggested support for Merkel’s conservatives was between 32.5 and 33.5 per cent in Sunday’s vote.

They indicate challenger Martin Schulz’s Social Democrats trailed in second place with between 20 and 21 per cent support.

The polls also suggested that the anti-migrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany party will enter the national parliament for the first time with 13 to 13.5 per cent support, making AfD the farthest right-wing party in parliament for nearly six decades..

Merkel campaigned on her record as chancellor for 12 years, emphasizing the country’s record-low unemployment, strong economic growth, balanced budget and growing international importance.

That’s helped keep her conservative bloc well atop the polls ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats of challenger Martin Schulz.

In Berlin, which also hosted its annual marathon Sunday, many streets were blocked and some voters had to cross the marathon route as runners zigzagged their way through the German capital. A festive mood emerged, with bands playing on street corners and bystanders cheering and applauding.

Merkel arrived in the early afternoon to vote with her husband Joachim Sauer, whose umbrella shielded them from the cold drizzle. Merkel nodded and smiled at reporters but made no comments.

Schulz voted with his wife Inge in his hometown of Wuerselen in western Germany.

Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union, have governed the country for the last four years with the Social Democrats in a so-called “grand coalition.” Most forecasts suggest that coalition will win another majority on Sunday, but different coalition government combinations could be possible.

In a tweet, the Social Democrats urged people to get out and vote against the AfD, saying “it’s a right-wing extremist party that doesn’t belong in parliament.”

AfD’s Frauke Petry, a party chairwoman, fired back with her own tweet: “Live with it comrades, the trend to the left is over today.”

In addition to AfD, the Greens, the pro-business Free Democratic Party and the Left Party were all poised to enter parliament with poll numbers between 8 and 11 per cent support.

I was really undecided. It was very difficult.

Bernhard Sommerfeld

Many of Germany’s 61.5 million voters had remained undecided until the very last moment. That included Bernhard Sommerfeld, a 62-year-old bookseller.

“I was really undecided,” said Sommerfeld, who declined to say who he voted for in Berlin. “It was very difficult.”

Midway through the day, Germany’s federal election authority said national voter turnout was slightly down compared to the last election in 2013.

Social Democratic Party chairman and top candidate Martin Schulz speaks at an election campaign event in Aachen, Germany. Henning Kaiser / dpa via AP

A voter casts for Germany’s general election at a polling station in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Markus Schreiber / AP Photo

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