Discussants

• Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Janka Oertel, Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, Berlin

Moderator

• Peter Sparding, Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

On September 24, Germans will go to the polls to elect a new parliament and, in turn, a new government. Polls suggest that Chancellor Merkel’s conservative party is set to receive the largest vote share, while her challenger Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats will come in second. However, potentially significant shifts in the party landscape, uncertainty over the distribution of votes among the smaller parties, and the possibility of additional parties entering the Bundestag mean that forming a new governing coalition could soon prove to be more complicated.

What will this mean for German politics going forward? How will the German election impact developments in Europe and around the globe? And what do the results tell us about the future of the German–U.S. relationship?

To discuss these questions and more, please join GMF for a post-election de-brief the day after the vote. You may also watch this event online through Facebook Live and tweet us your thoughts using #GermanyDecides. 

If you have any questions, please contact Peter Sparding at +1 202 683 2691 or psparding@gmfus.org.