Do we need to be told any clearer? Trump's referent in Spain is Vox. Amid threats of cheating, mile-long lies and displays of chainsaws, the person whom the President of the United States greeted by name during the sinister festival of the world's far right gathered in Washington was Abascal. Just like Trump, Vance and Musk's referent in Germany is Alternative for Germany, the xenophobic party that one in five German voters voted for yesterday.

Do we need to be told any clearer? Trump's referent in Spain is Vox. Amid threats of cheating, mile-long lies and displays of chainsaws, the person whom the President of the United States greeted by name during the sinister festival of the world's far right gathered in Washington was Abascal. Just like Trump, Vance and Musk's referent in Germany is Alternative for Germany, the xenophobic party that one in five German voters voted for yesterday.

US Vice President JD Vance blew up relations between his country and Europe a week ago in Munich. "There is a new sheriff in the White House," he warned. In Germany, the election campaign continued and in a televised debate, conservative candidate Friedrich Merz reproached Olaf Scholz for not being the one to lead a European response. Once again, Macron reacted quickly, calling for a summit in Paris on Monday. The main European leaders showed unity in support of Ukraine around a round table. Scholz, seated to the right of the French president, once again played a secondary role, even though Germany is the European country that sends the most aid to Ukraine.

Some 60 million Germans are called to vote on Sunday after a tense election campaign in a country accustomed to political consensus. This is the shortest and probably most controversial election campaign in the Federal Republic of Germany.. Harsh tone, personal insults, hate campaigns on social media, violence against local politicians, torn-up election posters, the rise of the far right and foreign interference have marked this election campaign. Until now, boring debates were the norm.

This Sunday, all of Europe will be watching what happens in Germany, because the result of the early federal elections will largely determine the continent's politics and the strength it can have to defend itself against Trump's offensive. In the dossier we analyse why the country is immersed in economic pessimism and concerned above all about the issue of immigration, which is what the extreme right has managed to put on the public agenda during the campaign. We speak with experts and also with people from various fields and professions, who explain their vision of Germany. We also interview Wolfgang Münchau, a journalist and economic expert who has just published 'Kaput. The end of the German miracle'. And, with some relation to the situation in Germany, we will also focus on Ukraine, since this Monday is the third anniversary of the start of the war.

The suspect arrested for the multiple car-ramming incident in central Munich on Thursday could have had an "Islamist motivation" for his attack, German authorities said on Friday morning. However, the Bavarian capital's public prosecutor, Gabriele Tilmann, added that there was no conclusive evidence that the incident was linked to terrorist organisations such as the so-called "Islamic State". The revelation could have an even greater impact on an election campaign heavily marked by the rise of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the debate on immigration and public safety.

Germany has been shaken by a possible terrorist attack in central Munich ten days before the Bundestag elections. A group of citizens taking part in a trade union protest in the Bavarian capital were hit by a vehicle driven by a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, according to initial police reports. At least 28 people, including children, were injured. The election campaign, dominated by the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the debate on immigration limits and public safety, has thus taken on a new episode that adds further volatility and tension. German politicians demanded a tough hand with the perpetrator of the attack and promised changes in immigration policy.