With three state elections and the Bundestag vote in the fall, 2017 is a decisive year in German politics. With Chancellor Angela Merkel up for a fourth term and the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party attempting to cash in on anti-migrant sentiment, one thing is clear – German politics won’t be the same by the end of 2017. Deutsche Welle looks at key dates leading up to this fall’s federal election.
March 26 – Saarland state parliament election
Germany’s “super election year” kicked off in the small western state of Saarland, on the French border. Chancellor Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) came out on top, snagging over 40 percent of the vote and securing a third term for state premier Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (L). The populist AfD will also enter Saarland’s parliament for the first time after claiming 6.2 percent of the vote.
© 2017 Deutsche Welle