German election latest: Conservatives head for victory but far-right AfD set for second place, exit polls say
www.bbc.com
The economy, immigration and security have been some of the key issues for voters in this year's election.

The conservative CDU/CSU party is expected to be the largest party in the next German parliament with 30% of the vote, according to the first two exit polls Friedrich Merz, 69, is in pole position to become Germany’s next chancellor The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is set to become the second biggest force in the country, with a record 20% of the vote, according to exit polls

  • Domino
    36·
    7 hours ago

    At least it’s not AfD, not much better but not the worst possible outcome. WTF though Germany?

    • lath@lemmy.world
      193·
      6 hours ago

      Similar to US, Germany is very popular with immigrants. Since 1989, there’s been a constant flow of people heading towards it.

      Also similar to US, most of those immigrants made a home for themselves in Germany. And having built a sense of stability and security for themselves, they felt reluctant to lose it in favour of less friendlier later arrivals.

      Germany itself can’t provide or accommodate fast enough for the waves of destitute immigrants that were led (intentionally or not) within its borders, so a lot of small crime went unpunished.

      Eventually, circumstances led to a much more fearful local populace that are desperate enough to vote for anyone promising them some peace and quiet, at almost any cost.

      And a fearful voter is a despicable politician’s wet dream.

          • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
            5·
            1 hour ago

            Education is not the problem. It’s painfully obvious that big tech is colluding with oligarchs and their corporations/lobbyists to brainwash their user base with disinformation.

            We need to invest in outlawing surveillance capitalism, along with all the psychological profiling, warfare, and information islands/bubbles it is designed to amplify.

        • DWin@feddit.ukEnglish
          1·
          4 hours ago

          I wonder if that’s based on fear, a fear that immigrants won’t be approving of who they are, and they see voting AfD as the only way to reduce that risk.

          Not saying it’s right, but it’s a sentiment I’ve been seeing. I remember a high profile case with a trans woman being attacked on the streets in Paris by men speaking Arabic back in 2015. Statistically unlikely doesn’t really quell the fear.

          • bestboyfriendintheworld@sh.itjust.works
            3·
            3 hours ago

            It’s based on who you experience as perpetrators of homophobic attacks. I’m bi myself and have plenty non straight friends. The numbers of homophobic attacks by Arabs and Turks dwarfs those by others. This is from our own personal painful experience.

            The last time I had to run from a group of Arabs on a weekend night was two months ago.

            This isn’t new, but has been a trend for years.

            • jol@discuss.tchncs.de
              1·
              2 hours ago

              While I understand you POV, it shows the importance of diversity. People that have friends who are refugees probably wouldn’t vote AfD.