Overview

• The ballot is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in one voting round with a two-hour window for members to cast votes.
• The nominees are Ann-Katrin Kaufhold and Sigrid Emmenegger for the SPD and Günter Spinner for the Union, with party leaders saying the two‑thirds threshold should be reached.
• Die Linke will not whip its members and has freed them to vote individually, a move that removes a key obstacle to securing the required majority.
• The Greens have signaled approval of all three candidates, adding crucial votes for a consensus outcome.
• The AfD’s attempt to pull the item from the agenda failed as other parties closed ranks, even as the party intensifies attacks on Kaufhold following a July vote that collapsed over a different nominee and internal Union dissent.