Overview

• The ballot covers Sigrid Emmenegger and Ann‑Katrin Kaufhold of the SPD and Günter Spinner of the Union, each requiring two thirds of votes cast plus a majority of all members.
• Polling stations in the chamber are open for two hours, with results expected this evening in Berlin.
• The Greens back all three nominees, while The Left commits to the two SPD candidates and allows a free vote on Spinner.
• Union leaders reject formal talks with The Left under a party incompatibility rule, even as pressure mounts after July’s aborted vote.
• The AfD is outside any arrangements, has targeted Kaufhold and may withhold support for Spinner, increasing the risk that failure forces recourse to the Bundesrat mechanism.