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                        Germans Vote in General Election

   by Reuters

   Polling stations are open in Germany. It's the first national election
   in Europe's largest economy since the region's debt crisis erupted four
   years ago.
   Voters are expected to hand Chancellor Angela Merkel a third term. But
   it's set to be a close race.
   Merkel's current coalition partners, the FDP, have seen their support
   slip. So her Christian Democrats (CDU) may be forced into a grand
   coalition with the opposition Social Democrats (SPD).
   Running against Merkel is the SPD's chancellor candidate, Peer
   Steinbrueck. He's previously served as finance minister under Merkel,
   but has said he won't take a ministerial post in her government again.
   The vote is being closely watched by Germany's European partners. Some
   hope a grand coalition with the SPD could lead Merkel to soften her
   approach towards struggling southern euro zone members like Greece.
   The wild card in the election is the new anti-euro party Alternative
   for Germany. If it manages to get above 5 percent of the vote, it will
   get seats in parliament, becoming the first new party to enter the
   Bundestag since 1990.
   Sixty-two million Germans are eligible to vote. In the run-up to the
   election, a third of voters said they were undecided.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-germans-vote-in-general-election/
   1754674.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-germans-vote-in-general-election/1754674.html