German election coming soon!

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Usual German election. All parties won:
The CDU/CSU because they got the most votes, the SPD because theirs result isn't that bad, the FDP because it has about 10 percent, the Greens, because they got 8 percent, and the Left due to theirs 8 percent.

Funny situation, both Schroeder and Merkel want to become Chancellor, and the only possibility is a great, or grand coalition because the FDP doesn't want to go into coalition with the SPD abd the Greens and also a coalition of CDU, FDP and Greens doesn't seem very likely.

So we will see what the next days bring. I don't hope Angela Merkel becomes chancellor, because she is all but social. She is a physician :)
 
The BBC correspondent on the German Elections on last night's news:

Due to the nature of the German election system (And trust me, you don't want me to explain it) the post of Chancellor is still being very much contested.

It was something along those lines anyway. I just laughed in spite of myself when he said, "Trust me, you don't want me to explain it".
 
TheQuiet1 said:

Due to the nature of the German election system (And trust me, you don't want me to explain it) the post of Chancellor is still being very much contested.


I remember the days when I used to think that proportional representation was so much fairer and so much more straightforward than the plurality system. I guess I overlooked the small print that came with it.
 
beau2ifulday said:


I remember the days when I used to think that proportional representation was so much fairer and so much more straightforward than the plurality system. I guess I overlooked the small print that came with it.

I used to feel this way, too. In fact, I felt that way until I started to read Europeans' posts in FYM complaining about their governments.
 
Sooooo, no Jamaica coalition or so it seems, I might be putting my money on CDU/CSU with the SPD. :sexywink:
 
I don't understand why people always fret about the need for a "quick resolution." Even America did this, but how is it any different when Congress and the President goes on vacation for a month? Sorry to tell the pols, but life goes on without you. The Earth will continue to revolve around the Sun even if you're not there to pander, bitch and moan on international television.

If they can't form a government, there's already provisions to resolve that, and maybe it's not a bad idea that one of those resolutions is to have another election. After the 2000 election here, another election would definitely have solved any questions over whether Bush was legitimately elected or not.

Melon
 
Hm, yes, I think it will become a grand coalition. But they don't know who should be the Chancellor. At the moment it seems that Schroeder moves a bit back so that there is a chance for the following negotiation.
But there is only one percent difference, and maybe both parties will get closer after Dresden has voted.
Another SPD politician said yesterday, a grand coalition would only have a chance if both parties were on the same level, and no one ist the smaller part.
And that's right. The difference between both parties is so little that the CDU cannot claim all the good minister posts for it's own party.
But we will see how it ends.


The problem at the moment is that especially foreign companies don't invest in Germany because nobody knows what the future will bring. So an agreement has to be developed shortly after the elction in Dresden.
It's not the best situation for our economy, but it's not that bad like many say either.
 
Wow, they're actually thinking of a Grand Coalition? I haven't followed this too much in the last week, but I wasn't expecting that at all.

Vincent, do you think a Grand Coalition would stand a chance of working effectively, or do you think they'd just end up calling an election again in the next year or so through disagreement?
 
It's a hard question andmany former politicians and business men and so on are thinking very differently.
There was a Grand Coalition in the late 1960's which was all but a success. And so some of the politicians of that time say this time it won't be any different.
Others, mostly people from the economy say it would be best because both parties could help the economy a lot if they work together.

I think it'll have a chance, but only if both the SPD and the CDU/CSU come down a bit and work together instead of working against each other like in the 1960's.
If both parties are facing the problems and don't try to stay in government for another period then in the end there could be some compromises which really work.
It's really hard because there haven't been a Grand Coalition for long and both parties are more seemingly trying to do the best only for its own, so that they stay in government after the election in 2009.
It's not easy to call a new election because there are some restrictions. So I think if they set up a Grand Coalition they will try to get through the time.
At the moment nobody wants a new election, but our politicians often said something and did the opposite one month later.

But most important really is that the politicians of both parties don't try to stay in power. There have some decisions to be made that aren't really popular, and I think thos will have the greatest chance in a Grand Coalition.
 
So I guess Dresden won the CDU/CSU a few percentage points and Schröder apparently said that the question of him becoming the chancellor was up to the SPD members. I guess the grand coalition with Merkel as chancellor is as good as inevitable right?
 
Yes, the chance, or danger, of getting a CDU chancellor has increased a lot.
Certainly it will be Merkel, but even that isn't sure anymore. Some say she had lost too much percentages and so there has to be another politician to become the Chancellor.
But I think in the end Merkel will show hers critics off and win like she always did.

But one thing seems to come for sure, the Chancellor is a CDU politician.
If it was Stoiber with the CSU, I would stay in Australia for the next for years ;)
 
Merkel set to take over as German leader

>By Hugh Williamson in Berlin and Bertrand Benoit in Frankfurt
>Published: October 7 2005 19:41 | Last updated: October 7 2005 19:41
>>

Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel is set to replace Gerhard Schröder as Germany's next chancellor, in a political deal that will see the departure of Mr Schröder from the national political stage, senior members of the ruling Social Democrats have told the Financial Times.

Ms Merkel's expected victory in the battle for the chancellorship is likely to be announced on Monday, following a meeting on Sunday evening in Berlin between Mr Schröder and Ms Merkel, according to the SPD politicians, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The two leaders met on Thursday evening for four hours to agree the framework of a SPD-CDU grand coalition, but refused on Friday to disclose details. The talks also include SPD leader Franz Müntefering, and Bavarian premier Edmund Stoiber.

Officials close to Mr Schröder said the chancellor would not become vice chancellor and foreign minister in the coalition, despite pressure from within the SPD for him do so. "The chancellor has done what was necessary, to ensure the SPD is on an equal footing with the CDU in the coalition," one official said.

The election yielded a hung parliament but left the CDU holding four more seats than the SPD. Ms Merkel promptly claimed the chancellorship but Mr Schröder, citing his party's unexpectedly strong performance, refused to stand aside.

The announcement on Monday is set to alter the balance of power in Berlin immediately, even though Ms Merkel is not expected to be formally elected as chancellor until mid-November.

Government officials said that it was no longer certain that Mr Schröder would represent Germany at the informal European Union summit near London in late October, adding that it was possible that Ms Merkel would attend.
 
Hm, funny is that the voters didn't want a Grand Coalition, and many didn't want Angela Merkel, so they voted the SPD or the FDP.
Now we got both, a grand coalition and Angela Merkel as Chancellor.
With the grand coalitin, nobody really is sure whether this is good or bad for our country, but with Angela Merkel, many people are very sure that this is not the best decision.
I hope she will show that she can do better than expected.
 
Still, he doesn't want to go out without a bang ('bang' = rant).

Schroeder quits government, blasts U.S., Britain

By Dave Graham Wed Oct 12,12:05 PM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder, who has led Germany since 1998, said for the first time on Wednesday he would not play a role in the next government, in an emotional farewell including broadsides at the United States and Britain.
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"I will not be a part of the next government -- definitely not be part of it," a tearful looking Schroeder told a rapt audience of union members in his home city of Hanover.

He quickly composed himself, hitting his stride in a passionate defense of a strong German state and lashing out at "Anglo-Saxon" economic policies favoured in Britain and the United States, which he said had "no chance" in Europe.

In an apparent reference to Hurricane Katrina, Schroeder castigated Washington for liberal, hands-off policies that left it exposed in times of crisis. The Bush administration was widely criticised for its response to the devastating storm.

"I do not want to name any catastrophes where you can see what happens if organised state action is absent. I could name countries, but the position I still hold forbids it, but everyone knows I mean America," he said to loud applause.

Schroeder was speaking two days after his Social Democrats (SPD) said he was ready to step down to allow conservative leader Angela Merkel to front a power-sharing government of their two parties.

Her conservatives narrowly beat Schroeder's SPD in a September 18 general election, but failed to win enough seats to build a majority with their preferred coalition partners.

Schroeder, who has been urged by some members of his party to stay on as vice-chancellor in a new government, hinted on Tuesday evening he would not stay on but had not ruled it out publicly before.

CLASHES OVER IRAQ

Schroeder clashed with Britain and Washington in the run-up to the 2003
Iraq invasion and has been at odds with British Prime Minister
Tony Blair over the direction of European economic policy.

Blair has urged
European Union countries to cut back state influence on the economy, running into fierce opposition from both Schroeder and his ally, French
President Jacques Chirac.

Schroeder stressed the importance of the Franco-German link in his speech, saying it was crucial for the defense of Europe's social model.

Merkel, who advocated far-reaching reforms of the German labor market and tax system during the election campaign, has vowed to take a more even-handed approach with France and is seen to be closer to Blair.

But as she will rule in a coalition with Schroeder's party, her plans are expected to be watered down.

The SPD has won many of the important cabinet positions in the next government, including the foreign and finance ministries. The party plans to decide who will fill those posts on Thursday, SPD sources told Reuters.

Peer Steinbrueck, former state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, is a "clear favorite" to take the key role of Finance Minister, sources said.

The SPD and the conservatives are due to start formal coalition talks from next Monday. Schroeder will participate in those negotiations, which are due to conclude by November 12.

His withdrawal, while not unexpected, is nevertheless a blow to the SPD, which is likely to struggle to fill the void their most charismatic figure leaves behind him.

Schroeder has not given any signs of what he could do next, although companies could be keen to make use of his connections and deal-making skills, which he used as chancellor to secure lucrative deals for German industry.
 
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