Housing Is the Elephant in the Room of Germany’s Tense Election
- Parties have sidestepped the issue despite worsening shortages
- Demands for rent controls collide with push for more building
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Friedrich Merz, the conservative frontrunner for German chancellor, has vowed to rapidly implement a 15-point plan if he secures power after the Feb. 23 election.
The immediate measures would include stemming illegal migration, lowering power prices and reversing the legalization of cannabis. Conspicuous by its absence is any proposal to alleviate the country’s intensifying housing shortage.