German political parties and elections

[Aeternitas]

Yeah, that's why I often use the word "circus" to describe the chaos going on in the political scene. Of course, I know it's not something typical to any ethnicity in particular, and this extends beyond Germany or even Europe's borders. But perhaps witnessing such a circus is the only way to realize how things are going in Europe concerning the current systems and maybe open some eyes.

[Menydh]

Look! More clowns to join the Merkel & Schröder's circus:

Zapatero: Merkel's victory a failure

The Spain Herald
September 20, 2005



Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said at a press conference Sunday that the German Socialist party's "better than expected" showing in the recent parliamentary election is due to outgoing German prime minister Gerhard Schroeder's "personality. "He added that if the election results are compared with pre-election surveys, they were a "failure" for Christian Democrat candidate Angela Merkel.

Zapatero said, "My wish is, in any case, that the new government support the advance of Europe. Logically, it will take several weeks for us to learn who will be Germany's next chancellor. "According to the results, Merkel's CDU won 225 seats and Schroeder's SPD won 222. The Liberal Democrats were third with 61 seats, the Leftist Party won 54, and the Greens, the SPD's coalition partner, won 51. These smaller parties now hold the key to the new German administration. Germany's parliament has 598 seats, and so 300 are necessary for a majority. European Commission president José Manuel Durao Barroso yesterday asked Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schroeder to reach an agreement as soon as possible. "I certainly hope that there will be a stable government in Germany soon because Europe cannot recover without a dynamic Germany, as it is Europe's motor," he said. According to the German media, negotiations have already begun among the parties.

Spanish People's Party secretary general Angel Acebes congratulated Merkel on her victory and hoped that she would give Germany "a parliamentary majority that will guarantee the country's stability. "He said he hoped that Germany "would find the best path possible due to its importance for the EU." Acebes said that Spain also has experience with errors in pre-election surveys, and stated, "What is important are the votes in the ballot box, the free and sovereign decision of the citizens. "PP president Mariano Rajoy yesterday sent a telegram to Merkel congratulating her.

Zapatero is so predictable that is no longer funny.

[Menydh]

Media Chancellor Turns Against Media

Deutsche Welle
September 20, 2005

Even Schröder's wife thought he had gone over the top this time

Following the elections in which the Social Democrats did much better than anticipated, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder took most observers aback by sharply attacking the media for their alleged bias against his party.

Editor-in-chief of the German public TV station ZDF, Nikolaus Brender, who co-moderated the post-election debate with leaders of the six main parties, said on Monday that Schröder's "style and form" during the debate on Sunday night were at times fully inappropriate for a German chancellor, but expressed a modicum of understanding for somebody "who has just descended from the orbit of election campaigning."

During the discussion, Schröder spoke of "media power and media manipulation," accusing the media of covering the campaigns in a biased manner and disparaging the fact that the media often quoted the pre-election polls, all of which predicted a decisive victory for Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and their coalition partner, the free-market liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).

In his speech after the preliminary election results were announced, Schröder told his supporters at the SPD headquarters in Berlin that his party had done well despite a lack of support from the media.

"I am proud of a democratic culture that overcame the power and manipulation of the media," Schröder said to a crowd made up of almost as many journalists as SPD voters.

Journalists strike back

President of the German Journalists Association (DJV) Michael Konken rejected "decisively the blanket accusation of media manipulation." Informing the public about the polls before the elections is a duty, which the German media, according to Konken, performed professionally and fairly.

"In the interest of 70,000 journalists in our country, I am asking the ruling chancellor to take back his accusations," Konken said.

Communications expert Frank Brettschneider described Schröder's behavior as "bizarre" and indicative of a "loss of reality paired with a certain amount of megalomania." On the other hand, Brettschneider said it was possible that Schröder's aggressive demeanor was a calculated attempt at browbeating Angela Merkel "to secure an advantage for himself and push up the prices for coalition negotiations."

Conspiracy theory?

Not everybody, however, is critical of Schröder's views. Siegfried Weischenberg, a German media researcher and former president of the Journalists Association, believes that the German media, along with polling institutions, did not handle the pre-election polls carefully enough.

"Large portions of media reports were directed against the SPD," said Weischenberg.

According to Weischenberg, the German media were responsible for trying to motivate the public for a change of government.

When media mixes with politics

Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, leading candidate for the Greens, echoed Schröder's concerns about the manipulative power of the media and called for more "self-critical reflexion among journalists" during a press conference Monday afternoon.

The fact that the SPD and the Greens were able to prove the trend researchers, pollsters and media were wrong, shows that it's "worth fighting," he said and added that "40-year-old yuppies, office managers and editors-in-chief" were not the only ones who decided the political future of the country.

Polling institutes criticized

The respected US polling institute, Gallup, on Monday added fire to the flames when it questioned the quality of German opinion researchers. The manager of Gallup in Germany, Gerald Wood, said that he considers the fact that German opinion institutes are often close to the political parties a "serious problem."

Doris didn't like it

Germany's first lady, Doris Schröder-Köpf -- herself a former journalist -- disapproved of her husband's belligerent appearance on television.

"She told me I should be more statesmanlike," Schröder told his guests of honor at the post-election party. He quickly pointed out, however, that people expected him to fight.

"And that's what I did," Schröder said, accompanied by a tumultuous applause.


[source]

[Menydh]

Germany in a deadlock over election

Deutsche Welle
September 20, 2005

Germany's main parties will be holding separate meetings later today to discuss the aftermath of Sunday's parliamentary election, which left the country in a political deadlock. Angela Merkel, leader of the conservative Christian Democrats, will be seeking reconfirmation as parliamentary party leader as she attempts to become Germany's next chancellor. The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, won 35.2 percent of the vote, compared to 34.3 percent for Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats. This means the CDU has only three more seats in parliament than the SPD. Both Merkel and Schröder have said they would not cede power in a possible grand coalition. Merkel said she planned to speak to all political parties about a coalition, except the Left Party. One of the options is an alliance between the conservatives, the liberal Free Democrats and the Greens. The Free Democrats have ruled out a coalition with the SPD and the Greens.


[source]

[Menydh]

Opinion: Germany Not Ready For Change

Deutsche Welle
September 19, 2005

The result of the German polls is a big surprise. Contrary to pollsters' predictions, Germans didn't vote for a change in government. A grand coalition is the only way out of the mess, says Deutsche Welle's Uta Thofern.

After this election evening, only one thing is absolutely clear: Germany isn't ready for change. And that is the worst signal for the future government.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wanted endorsement for the continuation of his reform course -- but he didn't get it. Despite pulling off a relatively good electoral performance under the circumstances -- thanks to the personal commitment of the chancellor alone -- Red-Green (Social Democrats and the Greens) have been voted out of power.

Angela Merkel, the CDU leader, wanted a clear mandate for even more radical reforms, but she didn't get it either. The votes aren't sufficient for her desired black-yellow coalition with the free-market liberal FDP.

Though Merkel can still become Germany's first female chancellor, the lead over the SPD (Social Democrats) is too slim.

Grand coalition only way out

The likely "grand coalition" between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the SPD won't and can't be the best outcome.

A weakened CDU with a vulnerable leader and a still-incumbent chancellor from the SPD who has already staked a clear claim to leadership even though his policies have led to a split in the center-left camp in Germany and whose party looks worse than ever -- that really can't work well.

And yet, a grand coalition is the best in the present situation because it's the only possible solution for Germany that can actually be carried out.

A red-red-green alliance between the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens won't happen. Despite the dreams of some old leftists, there won't be a big social front of reunited center-left groups. The Greens have moved too close to the center, the rifts between the SPD and the Left Party are too deep and the personal wounds inflicted by the leadership of both parties too serious.

No Jamaica or traffic light coalition

Equally impossible is a so-called Jamaican coalition between the conservatives, the FDP and the Greens.

The colorful alliance made up of the national colors of the Caribbean country would undoubtedly have charm, but no chance of realizing their policies. The parties may not be that far apart when it comes to civil rights, but it's still questionable whether the Greens would go along with it. The latter has after all been stable in its electoral result because it stayed true to itself. Thus the Greens could manage well in the opposition.

What remains is a so-called traffic light coalition between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. It could have a clear majority in parliament, mathematically speaking, but it wouldn't be stable.

The Greens, whose leadership has repeatedly ruled out an alliance with the FDP, would have deep reservations. In addition, the FDP entered the race with a clear avowal of black-yellow regeneration. The FDP would lose its newly-won strength by years -- as it did twice in German postwar history -- if it was to defect to another political camp.

The liberals could position themselves better in opposition and would thus play for time -- after all one doesn't have to be a prophet to predict that a grand coalition would be relatively short-lived in power.

Germany might need new elections again

The conservatives and the SPD must build a government together.

Despite the large majority in parliament, the grand coalition's governing leeway would be limited. In the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, this alliance has a one-vote majority if all conservative-led states always agreed with the government. But in the face of the several ambitious state premiers who didn't even offer their chancellor candidate their unlimited support during the election campaign, it seems unlikely.

The SPD on the other hand would be torn between the necessity of pragmatic governance and a strong, internal leftist opposition. That Gerhard Schröder, of all persons, has staked a claim to lead the SPD as chancellor in such a situation, borders on delusions of power. After all it was he who called early elections -- precisely to escape such a situation.

It's quite possible that CDU and SPD might have to replace their leadership so that a grand coalition can take shape at all.

But it's also possible that Germany may soon need new elections again.


[source]

[Aeternitas]

More articles about the elections:

What coalitions are possible?

Voters\' views

German press ponders political impasse

Germany\'s election: Your views

German \'war of the chancellors\'

[Aeternitas]

Green Godfather Says Goodbye

Joschka Fischer's departure was an emotional moment for all

Green party patriarch Joschka Fischer shocked both supporters and opponents Tuesday with the news that he would not continue leading the Green party should the party be sitting in the opposition in the next Bundestag.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1716650,00.html

[Aeternitas]

Schröder to meet Merkel, but a meeting of minds is unlikely

Germany's chancellor Gerhard Schröder will today hold talks with his rival Angela Merkel, despite little prospect that either of them is prepared to back down in their battle to become the country's next leader. The two will hold exploratory talks about a possible "grand coalition" between Mr Schröder's Social Democrats (SPD) and Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) following Sunday's inconclusive election.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1575432,00.html

[Aeternitas]

Conservatives Fail to Win Greens' Support

Opposition leader Angela Merkel failed Friday to persuade the Greens party to join talks on forming a coalition, closing another avenue for Germany to escape its postelection stalemate.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5297093,00.html

[Aeternitas]

The Disconnect Between Politics and Reality

Politicians failed to understand what German voters want, says Baring

Nearly a week after the election, Germans are still no closer to knowing who will govern them. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, historian Arnulf Baring reflected on what the poll result actually says about Germany.

Interview

[Carnyx]

Would be the ideal moment for some brave men to try what your policians are incapable to do.

[Aeternitas]

Schröder's brother urges him to give up

By Kate Connolly in Berlin

(Filed: 28/09/2005)
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's brother yesterday joined the chorus calling on him to abandon his campaign to lead Germany after its inconclusive election.
Lothar Vosseler admitted that his brother was "stubborn" but said he should give up politics and save himself the stress of high office.

Full story

[Aeternitas]

Schroeder sure SPD will reach deal with Merkel

Ready to cooperate? Not yet

Consensus was building Tuesday between Germany's two biggest parties on forming a "grand coalition" government to end political stalemate, but a bitter power struggle over the chancellery could still torpedo a deal.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1163693

[Menydh]

The uncertainty that these retards are creating can badly damage the economy of the country. Not that it changes things much, since their policies are as damaging as the power vacuum.

[Aeternitas]

Still waiting...

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