German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on her Conservative coalition candidate to vote to “stabilize” Germany.
Merkel acknowledged that while hundreds of thousands of activists led by Sweden’s Greta Dunberg have called for change on Germany’s streets and greater environmental protection, climate change has become a major challenge facing humanity in the years to come.
But while reminding voters of the importance of the next person leading the greatest power in Europe, he pointed out that technological advancement is the best way to protect themselves through “restrictions and orders”.
In an appeal to the elderly-dominated electorate, Merkel said: “To keep Germany stable, Armin Lachet must be president and the CDU (Alliance) and the Christian Community Union (CSU) must be the greatest force.”
Merkel’s coalition candidate, the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, has overtaken her Social Democratic rival, Olaf Scholes, for the presidency.
However, the final opinion poll indicates that the difference between them is limited to the margin of error, which makes it impossible to predict the outcome of these elections. The Greens are coming in third because they are likely to be a small partner in the next government coalition.
In turn, Schulz, the current finance minister, stressed that it was time for “a new beginning for Germany” after Merkel’s 16 – year rule.
“We need a change of government, we want a government led by social democrats,” he said.
Not enough
But Schulz is a promising change on the one hand and the Greens on the other are not enough, Dunberg said. Election Day.
“It is clearer than ever that no political party has made close enough efforts … even their proposed obligations are nowhere near the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” he said.
“Yes, we have to vote, you have to vote, but remember that voting alone is not enough. We have to be on the streets.”
Organizers said the marches attracted 620,000 people from more than 470 cities and towns across the country.
Louise Hare, a 14-year-old student who took part in the protest in Berlin, said: “Climate change is an important issue and if it continues, the situation will get worse.
Louisa Neuper, who runs the group’s branch in the country, said it’s time to reverse the destructive trends, as Germany, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has a dual responsibility to set a precedent.
“That’s why we describe this election as the election of the century,” he told the AFP.
A fresh start
The three leading parties in the election pledged to ensure the implementation of the environmental protection agenda if elected, while Greens provided a set of measures that are considered highly ambitious.
Green Party candidate Analina Birbach, who joined the future rally for Friday in Cologne, told the Die Weld newspaper that she hoped the marches would give her party a “push” ahead of the election.
“The next government should be a climate-friendly government — it can only be done by a strong Green Party,” he said.
As stated in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the basic requirement is to control global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Despite Merkel’s open support for climate protection measures, Germany has failed in recent years to achieve emissions-reduction targets under the agreement.
In a landmark ruling in April, Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that the government’s plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions were “not enough” to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and to impose an “unjust burden” on future generations.
Nearly 60.4 million Germans were invited to vote on Sunday, and most voters said climate protection was their priority.
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