2025 German elections — a vote of confidence

The 2025 Bundestag election campaign - a short, fierce and highly charged race for the chancellorship, with almost all the parties represented in parliament putting forward a candidate. With global politics overshadowed by an unpredictable US president with an unclear foreign policy, Germany is polarized over issues ranging from a struggling economy to immigration, social security and energy policy. The country needs a government with a clear direction - but who will be in charge remains to be seen. The center-right CDU and its regional Bavarian sister party the CSU are bullish about their leadership prospects - not least because leading politicians from the Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which originally formed the current coalition, have been hopelessly divided since the collapse of the government last November. It is there that our documentary begins - on the day that began with Donald Trump's election victory and ended with the collapse of the German government. Since then, filmmakers Stephan Lamby and Christian Bock have been tracking the frontrunner candidates. As the election campaign has unfolded, it's become increasingly clear that a growing number of voters no longer believe the various parties' promises or in the political consensus - a development that's playing into the hands of the far-right.