The Magdeburg Christmas market attack — and the heated political atmosphere that took hold in Germany as a result — have stressed how central the issues of domestic security and extremism will be for the next German government.

But other topics remain important as well. How does a government combat irregular immigration while boosting skilled immigration? And how does it safeguard against cyberattacks, uphold the rule of law and strengthen democracy against enemies within and without? These are some of the major challenges that the next German government will face in 2025, regardless of which party will be at the helm.

And yet, if you ask some Bundestag members, all of these challenges must first be pushed to the sidelines to address the crisis facing the country's economy. Flagship German companies like Volkswagen are in deep trouble, people are worried about their jobs and are struggling with rising prices and rents.

Marco Wanderwitz of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) was the federal commissioner for the eastern German states until 2021, and told DW: "The biggest problem we have in this country right now is that our economy is stuttering. And that is really affecting the foundations and the future. The big problem is that we have a loss of confidence in politics among economic leaders."

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The government is being blamed for high energy prices, high wage........

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