"There is fear of what lies ahead'

On the eve of a crucial election, voters share their views on the chaotic political situation in Europe's largest economy

- Jedidajah Otte

IT live in Germany's oldest city, founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago," said Gregor, 59, from Trier, a town of about 110,000 inhabitants in the country's affluent south-west. A short distance from the borders of Luxembourg, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, Trier is often described as being "in the heart of Europe”.

"When I walk the dog," Gregor said, "I see old people looking for food in rubbish bins. It hurts me. Twenty years ago, I never saw anything like this." Gregor worked in finance for about 40 years until he lost his job last summer. He is looking for a new job, but in Luxembourg, not Germany, because "the pension system is much more attractive there, the roads are better, public transport is free".

He will be among millions of Germans voting in a snap general election on 23 February, after the coalition of the Social Democrats (SDP), Free Democratic party (FDP) and Greens collapsed last November.

Gregor was one of hundreds of citizens who shared with the Guardian how they felt about the chaotic political and economic situation in Europe's largest economy.

Most people agreed Germany's malaise was primarily to be blamed on a lack of investment in transport, energy, housing, education and health infrastructure, but opinions on how such investments should be financed diverged enormously.

A supporter of left-leaning parties in the past, Gregor will likely vote for the liberal but fiscally conservative FDP -the party many blame for the coalition's downfall. Its leadership refused to embrace more public borrowing in accordance with the "debt brake", enshrined in Germany's constitution after the 2008 global financial crisis.

The law prohibited the federal government from running more than a modest budget deficit after 2016, and since 2020 has required state governments to balance their budgets. Gregor is among those who oppose the funding of new investment with more public debt.