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| Germany election: Voting gets under way | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Voting has begun in Germany's elections, with Chancellor Angela Merkel vying for a third term in charge of Europe's most powerful economy. | |
| Polls suggested Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats may take the largest number of seats in parliament, or Bundestag. | |
| But Mrs Merkel's coalition partners, the Free Democrats, may not gain the 5% vote share required to win any seats. | But Mrs Merkel's coalition partners, the Free Democrats, may not gain the 5% vote share required to win any seats. |
| If so, Mrs Merkel may have to consider a coalition with her main rival Peer Steinbrueck's Social Democrats. | If so, Mrs Merkel may have to consider a coalition with her main rival Peer Steinbrueck's Social Democrats. |
| A coalition of Centre-Left, Left and Green parties is also a possibility. | A coalition of Centre-Left, Left and Green parties is also a possibility. |
| Voting opened at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) and is due to close at 16:00. | |
| Elections in Germany are often followed by a period of several weeks of coalition talks before the final shape of the government emerges. | Elections in Germany are often followed by a period of several weeks of coalition talks before the final shape of the government emerges. |
| On Saturday, the main parties concluded their campaigns with large rallies. | |
| In Berlin, Mrs Merkel asked for votes to continue with her government's policies into 2017. | |
| "I ask the people in Germany to give me a strong mandate so that I can continue to serve Germany for another four years, for a stronger Germany, a country which is well respected in Europe, which defends its interests but is also a friend of a lot of countries." | |
| In Frankfurt, Peer Steinbrueck - who leads the opposition SDP, told his supporters to believe in the possibility of victory. | |
| "The voters decide," he said, "not commentary beforehand." | |
| "It's not a game. Don't believe it's decided yet - it isn't. I would ask for the voters' decision to be respected, because it's them, not political polls or certain observers, who decide an election." | |
| The Green Party - who may play some part in an eventual governing coalition - has criticised Mrs Merkel's government for raising taxes. | The Green Party - who may play some part in an eventual governing coalition - has criticised Mrs Merkel's government for raising taxes. |
| The Free Democrats (FDP), whose best-known member is Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, has seen its fortunes decline sharply since the last election in 2009, when it won nearly 15% of the vote. | The Free Democrats (FDP), whose best-known member is Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, has seen its fortunes decline sharply since the last election in 2009, when it won nearly 15% of the vote. |
| Analysts say the party, traditionally more liberal than the CDU/CSU, has struggled to stand out from its more powerful coalition partner on economic policy. | Analysts say the party, traditionally more liberal than the CDU/CSU, has struggled to stand out from its more powerful coalition partner on economic policy. |
| If the Free Democrats (FDP) do badly, as expected, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) may find themselves looking to other small parties to form a broader, more fragile coalition. | If the Free Democrats (FDP) do badly, as expected, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) may find themselves looking to other small parties to form a broader, more fragile coalition. |
| According to an average of opinion polls tweeted by the London-based @electionista monitoring site, the CDU/CSU will get 38.6% of the vote to 25.8% for the SPD and 6.4% for the FDP. | According to an average of opinion polls tweeted by the London-based @electionista monitoring site, the CDU/CSU will get 38.6% of the vote to 25.8% for the SPD and 6.4% for the FDP. |
| Some analysts also see the possibility of a government led by Mrs Merkel which includes the Social Democrats (SPD), whose leader served as finance minister under Mrs Merkel in a previous grand coalition. | Some analysts also see the possibility of a government led by Mrs Merkel which includes the Social Democrats (SPD), whose leader served as finance minister under Mrs Merkel in a previous grand coalition. |
| Under another scenario, a new party largely formed from disaffected CDU members could get enough votes to be regarded as a different coalition partner. Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), as it is known, is avowedly anti-euro and could prove a difficult partner. | Under another scenario, a new party largely formed from disaffected CDU members could get enough votes to be regarded as a different coalition partner. Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), as it is known, is avowedly anti-euro and could prove a difficult partner. |
| The election is one of the most important in years because of Germany's dominant role in the eurozone. | The election is one of the most important in years because of Germany's dominant role in the eurozone. |
| With the biggest population of any EU state, it enjoys a GDP that far outstrips the economies of its partners and is crucial to decisions on tackling the eurozone's debt crisis. | With the biggest population of any EU state, it enjoys a GDP that far outstrips the economies of its partners and is crucial to decisions on tackling the eurozone's debt crisis. |