Berlin:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s preferred successor Armin Laschet of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc revealed his decision by error as he cast a ballot in Sunday’s parliamentary polls.
His incorrectly folded ballot showed that the conservative leader unsurprisingly voted for his personal party at a polling station in his hometown of Aachen, exactly where he arrived collectively with his wife.
The blunder made social media customers wonder regardless of whether Laschet had violated the national voting guidelines, which prohibit revealing election selections till immediately after the polls close.
But the federal returning officer made clear on Twitter that Laschet’s vote would not be annulled.
“A nationally known politician voted, as expected, for his own party. This cannot be considered election influence … If a ballot is folded incorrectly, the election commission offers another one. If the ballot is already in the ballot box, it can no longer be taken out and is valid,” he wrote.
Germans went to the polls on Sunday to elect the next parliament, which will appoint Merkel’s successor. The make-up of the new government is not anticipated to be identified instantly.
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