The current state of Germany's economy is likely to play an important role in voters' decisions when they head to the polls for elections scheduled to take place Sept. 18. The country's high unemployment and sour economic outlook make it unlikely that Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his coalition government of Social Democrats and Greens will remain in power.

But how do those looking at the country with an outsider's perspective view Germany's state of affairs? Are things really as bad as they seem to many Germans? Are people complaining too much about problems and fail to see the positive things as a result?

DW-WORLD has asked English speakers for their perspective on Germany today. Some have lived here for years, others only visit the country occasionally for business reasons. Some seriously critique the way things are run in Germany while others decided to take a lighter approach in answering the questionnaire.

Click on the links below to get the "other" perspective on Germany's 2005 election.