Final push for votes as German frontrunner vows to lead in Europe

Germany's rival political leaders take their fight for votes right to the last minute before a pivotal election.

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Conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz told supporters that under his leadership, Germany would take responsibility in Europe, and that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) would be consigned to the political margins once more.

He will end his Christian Democrat party's campaign with a rally in Munich, while his rivals will make a final appeal in a TV "speed-dating" programme with voters.

For months German politics has been paralysed by the collapse of the previous government.

Now, hopes have been raised across Europe that this vote will bring some certainty to the EU's biggest democracy and its biggest economy, which has struggled to escape from lingering recession.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kgd25710do

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