The Guardian view of Germany’s election: An opportunity to reset a new era Editorial

WGermany adviser, Olaf Schools, to choose In November to compel the sudden elections this week, it looked like an embarrassing timing. In the United States, Donald Trump had just won a decisive victory and was promising to move quickly and break things. With a political storm, was this the time for the most important member of the European Union to start a period of prolonged meditation?

After three noisy months, with German democracy itself at the intersection of the Trump administration hostile, a Sunday poll appears to be a valuable opportunity to reset the emergency. Any federal elections that bear great importance behind the borders of Germany. This poll is characterized by being the first of a new era – as it is no longer possible to rely on the alliance across the Atlantic Ocean, which was working on post -war security in Europe. Its results will be essential to the formation of the European Union’s response to this new reality, where existential decisions are taken Defense spending And the protection of Ukraine.

With the central oath of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union comfortably forward In opinion polls, strong possibility is replaced by Mr. Schulz, a social democratic, adviser by Friedrich Mirz. Mr. Mirz has Assure The need to stand back from Mr. Trump on Ukraine and potential commercial tariffs. Increasingly from charity on Russia and the need to protect the eastern side of the European Union, it is possible that it will take a more expansionist approach on the European stage of Mr. Schuls, whose internal focus angry French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr. Schouls was his reasons for that. No matter how anxious it is in international expectations, many voters in Germany are still local in a narrow manner. A group of deadly attacks involved in the alternative to the alternative to the alternative to the alternative to the alternative to the alternative to the summit of the political agenda.

All major parties are still committed to traditional Wall protection Except AFD from power (though Mr. Merz I depend On its voices to pass a newly opposition proposal on the totally totally migration rules). But opinion polls indicate that it will achieve the second place on Sunday-a very worrying position on the strength of the National Ethnic Party, which is officially classified as a suspected extremist. The party grows popularity Among voters under the age of 35, especially among young people, are fateful.

The emergence of the extreme right has been accelerated through the prolonged economy recession. The business model in Germany was crushed by ending the era of cheap Russian energy, higher interest rates and low demand for its exports. Since Kofid, nearly a quarter of a million Manufacturing jobs It has been lost, in a country that is proud to be the industrial power in Europe. Historical reluctance of investment – constantly devoted to the 2008 debt brakes – has become a responsibility, which led to the expression of Mr. Schulz’s attempts to respond.

The suddenly isolated Europe need Germany, confident and prosperous in its heart. In a fragmented political scene, it will certainly be on the government of another broad coalition, led by Mr. Mirz, to try to present this. At the same time, AFD will put itself as the alternative to Trump to wait, happening by proverbs Elon Musk Vice President of the United States, JD Vance. It was rarely important for the policy of moderation and consensus to succeed. In the post -repetition era, the risks inside and outside Germany never felt.