Merkel's Party Routed In Big German State

[Purveyor]

Source: REUTERS

By Stephen Brown

DUESSELDORF, Germany | Sun May 13, 2012 12:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday in an election in Germany's most populous state, a result which could embolden the left opposition to step up its criticism of her European austerity policies.

The election in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), a western German state with a bigger population than the Netherlands and an economy the size of Turkey, was held 18 months before a national election in which Merkel is expected to fight for a third term.

She remains popular in Germany for her steady handling of the euro zone debt crisis, but the sheer scale of her party's defeat leaves her vulnerable at a time when a backlash against her insistence on fiscal discipline is building across Europe.

According to first projections, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won 38.8 percent of the vote and will have enough to form a stable majority with the Greens, who scored 12.2 percent.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/13/us-germany-election-nrw-result-idUSBRE84C09G20120513

[pinto]

1. (aside) Fareed Zakaria's show on CNN today was heavily focused on the EU & austerity policies.

A good, in depth overview.

[xchrom]

2. HA! Nt

[starroute]

3. And the Pirate Party got 7.6% of the vote -- which has been typical lately

In the last few German regional elections, they've gotten either close to or just over 8% -- enough to gain representation in the state parliaments.

Good for them.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Unfortunately, in the US both parties are pro-austerity

Not much to do except vote for the less-savage one.

[jannyk]

5. +1.

[Jackpine Radical]

8. Ainnat da troof.

Obama is dawun onda rite.

[polichick]

14. One party, two faces.

[rocktivity]

6. Another country heard from

voting "No sale" on the "new austerity"-based economy. Why IS it that it's not catching on?


rocktivity

[pscot]

7. Haven't you heard?

The bankers own this place.

[tabasco]

9. CDU is doing their best to dimantle workers' rights in Germany

I'll be glad to see Germans kick their asses out of power.

[DFW]

10. This was a local election where the personalities got what they deserved--not a national indication

The moderate, charismatic sitting SPD governor, Hannelore Kraft got her party 39%
where the colorless, ineffective CDU challenger got what he deserved, a whopping loss.
This was fought by personalities, with ideology running second. That the Piratenpartei
got 7.8% (latest ARD figures, could yet change) shows that a large segment of the
population is fed up with the whole process.

My wife voted SPD, hates the Piraten because they don't stand for much of anything.
I kinda admire them, because they don't stand for much of anything and still got into
parliament. Now, of course, they'll have to take a stand on something, but the established
parties, to which I now have to include the Greens, got the message: a potential coalition
maker or breaker won by basically saying "to hell with all of you." As an American citizen,
I still vote in the USA, of course, so my sentiments don't matter--probably just as well!!

Here in Germany, Neonazis get only fractions of the vote. Back home, the Neonazis (spelled G.O.P.)
get upwards of 40%. No American Pirates get my vote as long as a danger like that lurks.
Democratic all the way for me.

[tama]

11. Pirate party

They stand for freedom of information and participatory democracy, and as for representative system, they or at least many of them practice "continuous and participatory representation", asking those who they represent on how to vote on issues as they come for decision instead of pretending to be besserwissers.

[tabasco]

12. That's like saying state elections in New York or California

are not an indicator of national trends in the U.S.

NRW has a population of 17+ million.

I'm hoping the CDU continues to get their asses handed to them.

[DFW]

15. Are you kidding me?

I've lived in NRW for 30 years, speak fluent German and am married to an SPD member. How long have you been here?

[unkachuck]

13. K&R....angela, the tarantula, keep up the good work!....n/t