German election: Voters' voices

Campaign posters of all three main parties are prominent across Germany

German voters go to the polls this weekend to decide who will govern them for the next four years.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party looks on course to win a second term in government, though it is likely to have to rule in coalition with another party - probably either its existing partner, the centre-left SPD, or the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

Here, German voters discuss who they will vote for and what their main national concerns are ahead of Sunday's poll.

I will be voting for the first time in this election and will vote for the SPD party.

My family support SPD and even though I haven't been happy with many things they have done in government, including being so attached to the CDU, they will get my vote this time.

I was thinking of voting for the opposition left-wing party Die Linke but I couldn't because they have some former members of the old communist party.

I support the SPD's position on education and particularly university fees. The CDU want to raise university fees, but the SPD oppose this.

I also support the SPD's stance on Germany's role in Afghanistan - they want out eventually but not right now.

There are also some SPD policies I don't fully agree with, but that is the case with every party in Germany, I believe.

The SPD hasn't been hugely effective in power over the past four years, but I remain hopeful they can make more of a difference over the next four.

Many people my age don't know who to vote for and some are voting for the smaller and more extreme parties as a result.

But even though the bigger parties are very similar, I would rather vote for a party that can at least make a difference in power and have a chance of achieving something.

I will be voting CDU as I want Angela Merkel to remain as Chancellor and want to see the current coalition government remain in power for another four years.

I've been thrilled by this election campaign overall as it has involved some constructive debate throughout, particularly between Mrs Merkel and [SPD leader] Frank Walter Steinmeier.

But I did not want to see any change in government, and according to the polls that is how it will turn out. There is not much difference between the two main parties CDU and SPD nowadays anyway.

CDU supporters are confident of winning a second term in power

I think Mrs Merkel was paying a bit of lip service to voters by saying she would prefer to be in government with the FDP party.

Ok, they are closer politically on issues such as supporting big business, but I don't think the chancellor believes the FDP can gain enough support to realistically become the CDU's new coalition partner.

But that's politics, people want to hear that there is a chance of change and the parties want a lively campaign.

The government need to continue doing a good job and the coalition partners have work to do, namely on healthcare, education and Germany's involvement in Afghanistan.

The economy is not as much of an issue here because we have not suffered from the downturn in the same way as our European neighbours, but we have managed to remain a strong and stable partner and continue to be the biggest contributor to the EU.

I will vote for the FDP, the party that fights for the freedom of every independent person.

The FDP is looking quite strong [in the polls] and I hope it will be able to fulfil as much of its programme as possible in government, in coalition with the CDU.

The party leadership has said that it would only form a coalition with the CDU, or nothing, and I support that.

If the FDP cannot form a coalition with the CDU then it will go into opposition, as happened in the last election.

The main issues for me in this campaign include civil liberties, education and ensuring that all young people are able to find jobs once they graduate.

A free market is a very important issue for the FDP and I support the belief that the economy should be open and free, but still have strong and clear rules for banks and institutions that they must follow.

This is particularly important in the current financial crisis.

I'll be voting for the Greens in order to prevent conservatives and liberals from further benefiting those who have caused the recent financial crisis at the expense of the general public and the weak in particular.

I think the smaller parties, such as the Greens, can do a lot better this time, as I believe more people are turning away from the the coalition parties.

Also, with the importance of climate change playing an increasing role in people's lives it's a good time to vote for the Greens.

Building a working welfare state and a green economy are very important to me.

In my opinion, the Greens' plan of intelligent public spending for education and environmental technology serve this purpose best.

We need to achieve wealth, but we need to do so not for its own sake, but in order to fund solidarity on the national, European and global level.

I will not be voting for either of the two big parties who currently make up the grand coalition because they don't seem to be willing to change anything.

A good outcome for the Pirate Party might awaken the big-shots

The fact that Germany has not been hit too hard by the economic crisis is due to the general set-up of the German economy to be able to withstand it, not due to the management of it by this government.

I am more worried about the way our constitution has been bent by lawmakers to pass populist legislation.

I shall be voting for the Pirates, a small party which focuses on privacy policies, maintaining a free internet and opposition to university fees.

They might not even manage to get past the 5% hurdle to get into parliament, but a good outcome for them might awaken the big-shots and make them realise that these issues are really important to a lot of people.

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