The Guardian view on Germany’s election: a chance to reset for a new era | Editorial
www.theguardian.com
Fri, 21 Feb 2025 20:30:44 +0200
Sundays poll is a turning point for the EUs most powerful member state, as it comes to terms with Trump 2.0When Germanys chancellor, Olaf Scholz, chose in November to force this weekends snap election, it felt like awkward timing.
In the United States, Donald Trump had just won a decisive victory and was promising to move fast and break things.
With a political storm brewing, was this the right time for the EUs most important member state to embark on a period of prolonged introspectionThree tumultuous months later, with German democracy itself in the crosshairs of a hostile Trump administration, Sundays poll feels more like a valuable opportunity for an emergency reset.
Any federal election carries huge significance beyond Germanys borders.
This poll is distinguished by being the first of a new era one in which the transatlantic alliance that underpinned Europes postwar security can no longer be relied upon.
Its outcome will be fundamental to shaping the EUs response to that new reality, as existential decisions are made over defence spending and protecting Ukraine.
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