The "grey vote" goes largely to Germany's two big parties, Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union or Schulz's Social Democratic Party. The liberal FDP also manages to get a slice of this vote, a recent study by the DIW economic institute said. Blaming the elderlyErwin Bender, a recent retiree, said he was fed up with a debate that he says scapegoats older generations. They argue that rather than pit the interests of the elderly against those of younger voters, politicians need to ensure social cohesion through an equal treatment of generations. But on the question of whether to open the vote to 16-year-olds, Merkel, who is powering towards a fourth term in office, has a clear answer -- nein.

Source: The Local September 16, 2017 14:15 UTC