At the moment it seems like SPD and CDU have to go into coalition, but we'll see since there is a lot of fluctuation at the moment.
If the CDU wins and goes into coalition wth the liberal party FDP I'm sure we'll see German soldiers in the Iraq. In the past Merkel, the candidate for chancellor, and Edmund Stoiber, the minister president of Bavaria and chairman of CDU's sister party CSU wanted to do everything Bush did, like going in the Iraq.
Many Germans are very pessimistic and don't see our chances. They don't buy much as they fear they'll lose their jobs because many companies close down or go abroad where it is cheaper.
Our problems are e.g. a tax system nobody understands and a school system that has to be reformed. Many companies are afraid of investing in Germany because they really cannot account the tax burden they will face.
Officially we have about 4.7 million unemployed, something etween 10.5 and 11 percent. But in reality it is even 6 to 7 million. That is very expensive for the state and not good for the economy. But both parties the CDU and the SPD don't have really great concepts to do something against it, also it is very hard to realize any concepts here in Germany because the opposition has too much power to block every new law. Then both parties are working out a compromise which doesn't really help.
And, like everywhere else, after the election is before the election, i.e. the politicians try to get re-elected all the time or support their parties in the states.
We are facing problems here in Germany, that's sure, but too many people only see the problems, not the good things. And nobody wants reforms that cuts money for him or is in another way negative for him. That's why Schroeder is in trouble besides his policy of the "slow hand." In the first years of his government he didn't do a lot to change Germanies problems with unemployment, retirement payments or school system. He only got re-elected because of the flood in Saxonia and the war in Iraq. In his second legislature he began to reform the country, but had to negotiate with the CDU a lot and so the reforms got worse.
Also, the peole expect a change immediately and forget that all reforms take a few years to change anything. And they are disappointed that unemployment benefits got cut.
Now, we're certainly facing a "great coalition", but I'm not sure if it helps really.
Both parties are too different, too power orientated and in a way too arrogant.
In foreign policies Schroeder is not best. I don't have a problem if he goes in opposition to Bush because Bush cannot expect that every country supports him nevermind what he is doing.
But the problem is his friendship with Putin which makes him blind for the problems in Russia (e.g. Yukos, the missing freedom of press and so on) and Chechenia. And he neither cares about the offenses of human rights in Russia and China nor the conflict between China and Taiwan only for our economical advantage.
So, I hope our politics will experience a change in many ways, but also our citizens have to change their thinking a bit.
Hope the writing isn't too bad or confusing.