German elections: Who's who and why this vote is important

German voters go to the polls on 23 February in a pivotal vote focused on immigration and the economy.

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Controlling immigration and reviving the European Union's biggest economy are the main issues in this snap election, triggered by the collapse of centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition late last year.

We assess what and who you need to know ahead of the vote for Germany's next parliament, the Bundestag.

This election is taking place against a backdrop of a series of deadly attacks which have heightened pressure on the mainstream parties to reform immigration and asylum rules.

Germans were already reeling from four fatal attacks, in Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg and Afschaffenburg, when a mother and her two-year-old daughter were fatally injured in a car-ramming attack in Munich, allegedly by an Afghan national, 10 days before the election.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5ynv58y8yo

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