Merkel Looks to Be Leading German Election

[ECH1969]

BERLIN - Germans voted Sunday in a tight race between Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who touts his country's role as a European leader and counterbalance to America, and conservative challenger Angela Merkel, who pledges to reform the moribund economy and repair ties with Washington.

Polls for the parliamentary election suggested Merkel, leader of the conservative Christian Democrats, would become the nation's first female chancellor, although probably as head of a coalition government.

Merkel's plan to patch up relations with Washington, which frayed after Schroeder's refusal to back the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, resonated with some voters as did her position that Turkey should not be allowed full membership in the 25-nation European Union.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/09/18/ap/headlines/d8cmnvo00.txt

[stepnw1f]

1. Oh My God...

Germany is hurting nw as it is. They are playing the Bush game there to get their fascists elected. Oh Germany, my mother is so ashamed. Haven't you been paying attention to US politics?

[1932]

2. This election is just like the Davis recall in California.

If Enron and the bond raters screw up your economy ("make it scream") because they don't like a liberal who cares more for people then corporations even to the slightest degree, the people can be convinced that it's the fault of the liberal government and will vote in the conservatives who want to screw the people even more, but under banners like "GNP rising" or "average income rising" which hides the fact that poverty, misery, morbidity are increasing and happiness, health, opportunity and freedom are decreasing.

[Greeby]

3. Oh great

We'll be seeing German flag-draped coffins coming into Ramstein AFB before you know it if she wins :cry:

[KoKo]

4. Germany had some of the largest protests agains Iraq Invasion. what

happened since then? Surely the German citizens can see how Iraq has been screwed up. Why would Bush or his policies be popular in Germany? :shrug:

[mare]

13. Because not everything in other countries is

about the US or Bush or Iraq?

We do have other problems, too, you know?


...not that I voted for Merkel.

[hardrainfallin]

44. well, let me tell you something, you just give Merkel a shot

and you will soon realize that every other issue is overshadowed by the ramifications that are sure to come in the wake of it....

[punpirate]

5. Germany really should have a longer...

... memory. They've flirted with people like Merkel before.

[hogwyld]

8. OMG!

That has to be one of the funniest pics I've seen in a while :)

[malaise]

6. Too close to call

she has a small lead 35.5% and will not get that 39%. SDP has 34%.
She's in deep trouble because they will not form an alliance with her.

SDP is very happy. I'm watching BBC with live coverage.

[Lori Price CLG]

7. Do they have Diebold there? (LOL) n/t

[reorg]

19. there are voting machines for 2 million voters yet in Germany

... with no paper trail. Only two weeks before the election I was informed that we would not use paper ballots from now on ...

Today, after pushing the buttons, I asked for a receipt, and then had a short discussion with the guy overseeing the process. He explained that the results for each polling station are saved in a memory module which then gets transported by car to the city hall, where the results are collected and sent to the election supervisors of the states.

[Wilms]

27. Not a very reassuring way to handle a ballot. n/t

[hardrainfallin]

48. ohhhhhbbooyyyyy here we go.

I hadn't known that.

[GayCanuck]

9. Very scary

she said she will "repair ties with Washington"....ugh......should be shunning them.

[Maple]

10. Still a dead heat

Germany wants the Third Way. Practical, not left or right.

[hardrainfallin]

11. latest polls suggest Merkel has lost.

CDU/CSU and FDP have obviously fallen short of victory. According to the most recent projections of ARD and ZDF (German national broadcast stations), they will end up with 46-47 %.



Looks like there's going to be some sort of coalition formed.

http://www.ftd.de/pw/de/22738.html

[Maple]

12. Not a loss...not a win ...for either side

Dunno if they can form a coalition...very opposite viewpoints.

We'll see how much middle ground they can find.

[DavidDvorkin]

14. Not necessarily a coalition with each other

Both major parties will now be negotiating with various smaller parties, trying to put together a coalition that will have a majority in parliament.

[hardrainfallin]

15. Spiegel is reporting

3rd worst result for CDU in history. Latest projections show CLEAR MAJORITY for Red-Green coalition, but that doesn't make any sense if you look at the projections they're showing as results are predicted by German TV, because according to that the CDU/CSU/FDP would have the clear(er) majority....hmmm


http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,318661,00.html

[mare]

16. maybe they mean a Red-Red-Green coalition

If they'd go together they'd have almost 50%. But it won't happen.

I'm pretty sure what we'll get is a Red-Black coalition.

[reorg]

31. would be the right thing - but they won't do it

SPD and Greens would have to remember where they are coming from - but apparently they don't.

[JVS]

37. I'd expect to see a stoplight Red-yellow-greed before red-red-green

[sonicx]

17. It looks like a grand coalition is coming

the Conservatives don't have a majority. This is way better than the SDs could have hoped for.

[hadrons]

18. Merkel leading, but doing so poorly

An exit poll by ZDF public television showed Merkel's Christian Democrats at 35.9 percent, considerably worse than expected and short of a majority with her preferred coalition partners, the pro-business Free Democrats, at 10.4 percent.

Her party had consistently polled above 40 percent during the campaign.

Without a majority, Merkel may be forced as chancellor into a coalition with the Social Democrats, probably without Schroeder.

Schroeder's Social Democrats were at 33.6 percent, according to ZDF.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050918/ap_on_re_eu/germany_election

[Hav]

20. .

CDU now at 35,3% ;).
SPD 34,1 %.

[hardrainfallin]

21. Sound familiar?

Still, Merkel claimed her party had received a mandate from voters to form a new coalition government, and she would talk to all parties with the exception of a small left-wing group as she tried to become Germany's first female chancellor.


"What is important now is to form a stable government for the people in Germany, and we ... quite clearly have the mandate to do that," she said.

[mare]

22. Yeah, but Schröder says the same thing.

They all always do. It was to be expected.

[hardrainfallin]

25. where? Link?

I took the quote from the URL posted there.

I think it's dangerous to subscribe to the "they're all the same" thinking

We saw that here. I know I did. Until we got stuck with this criminal administration.

Kicking myself for having voted "principle" in 2000 (Nader/LaDuke)

Just wrote to a German friend of mine who was bitching about Schroeder and said, Hey, count your blessings and understand how much WORSE things really can get.

At least they have the coaltion options.

[mare]

30. Saw it on german TV just now.

Sorry, no link. He made a live speech.



eta:

What I meant with "They all say the same thing." is just that.
I don't know how it goes in the US. But in Germany, after an election, everybody ALWAYS says they are the winner and the other parties are the loser no matter how the election prognosis look like. It's like a running joke and doesn't really mean anything.

[hardrainfallin]

39. yeah, just saw the clip too. n/t

[malaise]

23. Just saw Schroeder on BBC

He's very upbeat.
Clearly SPD has the better chance of leading a coalition government. Big loss for Merkel. Clearly she needs SPD more than they needs her. SPD can garrner 48.5% without the conservatives.
The pope didn't help the right. He should have stayed away - hahahahha.

From DW -German TV
SPD 34.1
CDU/CSU 35.3

[sonicx]

24. is there an online link...

to BBC coverage? i'm looking on the site and i can't find it...

[malaise]

29. Follow Deutsche Welle

We're lucky - we have a cable link from Germany(DW) and BBC. It's hilarious watching the CDU faces.
Here's the DW internet link
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,1595,266,00.html

[strizi64]

26. NO majority means NO Merkel

CDU/CSU lost BIG time and are only 1.1% stronger than Schroeders SPD. They said yesterday that they will make 40 or more percent, they are at 35%... Schroeder could build a coalition with the new Left Party and the Greens, 52%.... BUT as all options are on the table, it's not a victory for the right wing. It's a defeat. Wow, we are so, so lucky :) .... Switzerland as a neighbour is happy, and me too

on edit: typo

[AX10]

57. As of 3:20 EDT, it's only a difference of .5%.

At one time the CDU/FDU coalition was getting 51%+ percent.
This was a massive loss for the German right.

[reorg]

28. misleading article

The CDU/FDP lost this election. There was one big surprise: the (neoliberal) FDP, a party of losers with a solid base of some three percent, gained much more than was predicted (they stand at some 10 percent) - these votes came from traditional CDU voters who didn't like the idea of a grand coalition, I think.

Everyone else got pretty much what was expected.

Three possibilities:

SPD/CDU coalition (Most likely, but Merkel would have to be chancellor and right now on TV, Schroeder is making a lot of noise about staying in office).


CDU/FDP/Greens (The Greens haven't excluded this possibility yet - and I will not put anything beyond these opportunists. Second most likely outcome).

SPD/Greens/FDP (The FDP has expressly excluded this possibility - if they would pull this off it would be a major betrayal of their voters - but this party of neoliberal scum has survived pretty much everything they did in the last 20 years).


The irony is that we have a clear majority on the left: SPD / Greens / Linkspartei (new Left party). The Left party was founded only a few months ago and is led by the former SPD chairman Lafontaine. They have 25 percent of all votes in the East (since the former "post-communist" PDS has joined the Left party). However, the SPD leadership will rather cooperate with the right than move towards the left, apparently.

[hardrainfallin]

38. Yeah...that's what I was seeing, actually a left majority coalition

hadn't been aware of the New Left party under Lafontaine...

jeezus you have to just hope the SPD leadership will come to its senses..

[AX10]

54. SDU must take the 'New Left' and Greens just to keep Merkel out.

the CDU/CSU/FDP had a combined poll of 54% at one time. They collapsed.

[cal04]

32. Germany's Gerhard Schroeder to be ousted if exit polling correct

The exit poll from ZDF public television showed Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats with 37 per cent of the vote to Schroeder's Social Democrats' 33 per cent. A survey for ARD television also put Merkel ahead.

Schroeder refused to concede defeat. He said he could still remain in power if talks with other parties were successful.Merkel said she would talk to all parties with the exception of a small left-wing group as she tried to become Germany's first female chancellor.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/09/18/german_vote_polling_20050918.html

Germany's Schroeder Refuses to Concede
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050918/ap_on_re_eu/germany_election

[strizi64]

33. dead wrong... trending toward SPD....

just look: http://www.n-tv.de

only 0.8% left and SPD will be in front.....

[reorg]

35. idiotic headline

It would appear that this journalist in Canada needs to acquaint himself with the German political system.

[malaise]

36. That's why I'm following on German TV

and BBC. This has been a Schroeder victory. CDU listened too much to the right wing press. Down go the neoliberals.

snip
For weeks, the CDU and FDP had been planning a coalition government that would take an aggressive approach to trimming Germany's bloated welfare system and reforming the labor market to encourage investment and growth. With the CDU only winning 35.5 percent of the vote, such a coalition is now impossible.

Options limited

CDU leader Angela Merkel said she her party, after claiming the majority share of the vote, has been given the job of forming a government. But her options are just as limited after an election night that surprised many Germans.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1713767,00.html

[sonicx]

41. It seems some writers don't understand that...

there's a significant third party presence and that simply being the party with the plurality doesn't mean you've "won" yet.

[Maple]

34. Hung parliament

[hardrainfallin]

42. Wellll all I gotta say here is if the German people do not manage

--under these circumstances--to FORCE a Left wing coalition government, then I don't EVER want to hear another WORD of critique expressed about our incompetence bzw impotence as liberals and/or democrats in this country.

Never.

Not another fucking word.

no complaining about voter apathy, about why we don't take to the streets and protest, why we don't get off our lazy asses and fight for democracy.

Nada.

I do NOTunderstand why on earth the SPD Green would refuse to negotiate a coalition with LaFontaine etal.

[Easy]

49. Maybe because

Maybe because Die Linke themselves said that they won't form a government, but go into opposition? Even if SPD and Greens wanted to form a coalition with them, the Linke does not want to - they entered the election with the proposition to go into opposition, because they do not see enough common ground with any other party to form a coalition.

~Easy

[elaineb]

85. Exactly. Well said.

I read this too. So it seems to have more to do with Die Linke not wanting to form a coalition with the SPD, not vice versa.

And that shouldn't be surprising, I guess. What would be the point of the traditional left breaking off from the SPD if they were then willing to go into coalition with them shortly after? There wouldn't have been any point in forming a new party; they could have caused a ruckus from within the SPD if they thought it would do the trick. The problem as I understand it is the SPD was no longer taking the concerns of the true left seriously regarding economic reforms (Sorry if my bias is showing!).

I really am grateful for all of our German DUers who take the time to enlighten Americans on the current state of German politics. Thanks for your opinions and wisdom! This has been an interesting day so far, and I suspect things will only get more interesting in coming days.

[Hav]

62. You don't really know much about German politics, do you?

I don't want to sound harsh but your views are probably not shared by many in Germany.
The PDS never intended to form a coalition for this election with any party, they didn't want to be a part of the government. In the west of Germany, they have around 4% and many still have their doubts about this party.
They also vehemently criticised parts of Schröders' reforms.

All the other parties didn't want to form a coalition with the PDS as well. A large majority of the population would reject it as well. This has nothing to do with voter apathy. Around 78% took part in this election.
The "Left" and the Greens theoretically having a majority, doesn't mean that they or their voters would want to work together.

[hardrainfallin]

77. I tell you, my perspective is rather "unique" so to speak, for an Ami,

I am an american citizen (a mixed race Native AMerican citizen to be precise) who went into exile IN GERMANY in 1984 after the re-election of Ronald Reagan in 1984.

I lived and worked in Germany from 1984 - 1993. I still travel there often, am a professional translator (German to English) also teach German lit at the university level. Admittedly, have not been following politics as much in recent years. Was there when Lafontaine was still SPD chair.

I have watched German society (economic and social structures) adapt, adapt adapt to US corporate and economic structures (get to listen to my old friends say, you won't believe it, you won't believe what is happening here, my god, we have school classes with 25 kids to one teacher! ohmygod. We have to pay for our prescriptions, and on and on and on...No matter what I try to say to make it clear just how BAD things can get --and are GOING to get-- based on my now 12 yrs' experience back in the uS --hey, I didn't think it could get any worse than Reagan....welllll...this regime makes Reagan look like a gentleman and a scholar and makes Nixon look like a saint).

I keep trying to warn you. You never listen.

Accept a left coalition and quit being so verdammt borniert! You think it's bad now--just wait. From what I can see, Germany is about 10 years behind us in terms of "fallout" from current "manic logic of global capitalism" (as Wm. Greider describes it)...

[reorg]

82. well, I actually do

so let me tell you: there is not that much difference among SPD, Greens, and Linkspartei as you may think. The stigma of "former Communists" (also true for the Green leaders, BTW - even Schröder and many of the other SPD leaders were outspoken socialists and anti-war activists) is wearing off after 15 years of a unified Germany, and with lots of former SPD members now forming the Western part of the Linkspartei they are here to stay.

The real struggle should be against the Neoliberals in the CDU/FDP.

[Hav]

83. Less differences as I may think?

I grew up in the East so I never liked the demonization of the PDS and I don't disagree with your points.
I am also aware that there were alreay coalitions of the SPD and PDS in certain "Bundesländern".
But after all the rhetoric from both sides, it was pretty clear for me that there would be no coalition this election. I deliberately stress that this was the case for this election and I personally wouldn't mind seeing them working together some time in the future.

[Eugene]

40. AP: Schroeder refuses to concede

They describe his chances of staying in power as "theoretical"
if he form an alliance with other parties.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5286749,00.html


BBC has a similar headline on the breaking news ticker, no link yet.

[sonicx]

45. lol, the headline should be...

"German conservatives fail to reach majority"

This election was theirs to lose.

[sonicx]

51. Just read that Schroeder won't negotiate with Merkel if it means...

Merkel becoming Prime Minister.

[Iterate]

43. Merkel even looks defeated, tired

CDU seems to have the fewest options. Linke.PDS did well with 8.6% but Schöder and Lafontaine won't even speak to each other and both have refuted any possible coalition. Westerwelle with FDU just stated they won't consider a SPD coalition with the Greens. Joschka Fischer(Grüne) doesn't seem like he'll give in to the CDU. I can't imagine that one. Publicly everyone seems resolute, opting for the best deal, but something has to give.

[hardrainfallin]

46. Pleassssse.... you people need to take to the streets en masse

to protest on behalf of a left coalition....

bitte. Auf nach Berlin.

[mare]

50. in my opinion, what people don't seem to get is...

that "Left party" and "Left party" isn't always the same in Germany. Yes, Greens, SPD and Die Linke.PDS are all left parties. Doesn't mean all voters of the SPD or Greens would want their party to form a coalition with the Linke.PDS.

Hell, I voted left and I wouldn't want them to form a coalition with the Linke because no way do I believe in what they stand for and where they come from.

[sonicx]

52. What's wrong with them (Linke)?

I don't know a great deal about german politics, so please explain.

[mare]

56. Okay....

1. I have a problem with them having been partly formed of the PDS which was - before that - the sole eastern German party SED.

2. I like some of what they are planning, for example in social security etc. But I don't know how they are planning to pay for it, and I don't think they know how they are going to pay for it.

[reorg]

72. well ...

the way you put it is rather simplistic.

1. the SED in the former GDR was NOT the "sole eastern German party", it was the dominant one. The eastern counterparts of CDU and FDP were also existent, had representatives in parliament and VOTED for or against laws and high officials. This is not to say that elections were somehow pluralistic or free - the list of representatives was preassigned before the elections - but these parties and their members always played along. Nevertheless, in the process of unification these "Blöckflötenparteien" (wood pipe parties) were incorporated into their Western counterparts without much ado. Not so the SED, originally a fusion of SPD and Communists, because the SPD always feared to be tainted as Commie lovers.

2. There were various factions in the SED, authoritarian minded stolid supporters of the former dictatorial system - not much different from today's Young Republicans, I guess - but also e. g. admirers of Gorbachevs reforms.

3. During unification, the reformists formed the PDS, Party of Democratic Socialism. They were socialists, but accept the democratic system in the FRG. Little, if any of the former SED functionaries joined this party (no surprise here, since it was unlikely to gain any majority and government participation any time soon). Some former junior SED functionaries, such as e. g. Angela Merkel, would rather switch sides and join the leading parties in the West ...

4. The PDS has since been slandered relentlessly by all other parties as Stalinist (sometimes qualified as "former"), Marxist-Leninist and whatnot. The press usually does not take much effort to inform the public about the reality of such accusations. And, oh well, indeed: there is in fact a tiny group within the PDS who does not foreswear the idea of a revolution. You would think this group is somehow significant, so often are they mentioned and reported on. But they aren't (but they are really nice guys, and bright: watch out for Sarah Wagenknecht, a little old-fashioned, but sweet and quite sharp).

5. In the East, the PDS is nowadays as important and big as SPD and CDU, mostly because they are seen as genuine representatives of the East, whereas SPD, FDP, CDU are seen as representative of Western interests. There are various coalition governments on state and local level with the PDS.

6. In the West, however, despite several attempts, they never gained ground, mostly because former leftist activists had either already joined the Greens or found the PDS too timid and reformist. This has changed now. Disillusion with the Red/Green government, mostly because of the radical social cuts they have introduced, has caused a considerable number of traditional leftists to split from the SPD. They have organised demonstrations, formed the WASG ("electoral alternative") and recently joined forces with the PDS, relabelling the project to "Linkspartei". The most important thing is that these splitters include not only very senior former SPD members, such as the former chairman Lafontaine, but also union activists. There is also a number of very respectable intellectuals running for them, e. g. Norman Paech, scholar on international law.

7. As to financing changes in the programs of social cuts, you will find that they don't believe that tax cuts for the rich necessarily translate into more job opportunities and economic upturn, and should therefore be avoided ...


Judging from the very relaxed attitude of all representatives from the left side of the aisle (Schröder, Fischer, Bisky) as opposed to the nervous chatter from the right wing twits (Merkel, Westerwelle, Stoiber) this evening, I had a feeling ... could it be? Could it be true that Schröder finally has found it in him to talk to Lafontaine again? What if they sensed that it would just take some candid information, a little education, and there would be a comfortable majority for a solid social democratic project in the next four years, along the lines of Northern European countries, which Lafontaine cited as a model? I dare not hope that this might come true, but it would be great.

[Iterate]

61. No, it doesn't map to American politics

Agreed. I don't really see how one could translate or map the parties to American politics. If anything this looks like the two major centist parties lost ground to those on the margins. Just saw that 25% of the unemployed voted Linke and accounts for much of their gain. Similar gains from the self-employed(and even being self-employed means something different here). That doesn't really say to me that there was a great ideological shift.

[hardrainfallin]

75. and if the alternative is Merkel, you'd accept that? n/t

[AX10]

59. Schroeder and Lafontaine better speak, for the good of...

the country. They need to keep the right as weak as possible.

Why does the left always bicker with one another? :eyes:

The Greens will NOT deal with the CDU. They are a right wing party.

[hardrainfallin]

79. For the good of the WORLD as well. n/t

The left needs to get over it and get a GRIP.

[AX10]

88. Agreed.

[still_one]

47. merkel will never form a coalition, watch schroeder will win

[AX10]

53. As of 3:15 EDT, it's a hung parliament and both sides...

will have to deal with the minor parties to form a coalition.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=194&topic_id=589&mesg_id=589

[sonicx]

55. New ZDF seat projection: 217 - CDU, 213 - SDP

getting closer! What a flop for the cons.

[strizi64]

65. SPD takes lead

223 Seats vs. 220 Seats



final results in 3-4 hours

[AX10]

66. Schroeder's ahead?!?

:bounce: and :kick:

Thank You GOD!

[sonicx]

67. here's a link

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,375257,00.html

it's a projection.

[strizi64]

68. just wait a little bit

with the party, it's a very very thin lead. It's not over until final results are out... And I should go to bed, it's late in the evening :+

[muriel_volestrangler]

58. Are these projections still based on the exit polls

or have real results started coming in? When will all results be in? It seems so close, we have to wait for everything to be declared before we know what the possible coalitions can be.

[mare]

60. take a look at this:

http://www.spiegel.de/flash/0,5532,11719,00.html

coloured parts have already been counted and were either won by SPD (red) or CDU/CSU (black)

[still_one]

63. It appears quite a lot has NOT been counted

[Dancing_Dave]

69. I don't see the smaller parties winning areas on that map

Is there a system of proportional representation?

[sonicx]

70. yeah, link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Germany

Germany elects on federal level a legislature. The parliament has two chambers. The Federal Diet (Bundestag) has 603 members, elected for a four year term, 299 members elected in single-seat constituencies according to first-past-the-post, while a further 299 members are allocated from statewide party lists to achieve a proportional distribution in the legislature, conducted according to a system of proportional representation called the additional member system. Voters vote once for a constituency representative, and a second time for a party, and the lists are used to make the party balances match the distribution of second votes. In the current parliament there are 5 'overhang' seats, caused by the SDP earning more single-member districts than the proportional totals would entitle them to.

[sonicx]

64. dw-world's english radio station says the parties are tied now.

[daleo]

71. That's just exit polls.

And we know those mean whatever the corporate media wants them to mean.

[Dancing_Dave]

73. Spiegal seems to think Schroeder has it in the bag

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,375257,00.html

[daleo]

76. Excellent link, thanks. n/t

[bikebloke]

74. BBC World Service broadcast gives it to Schoeder

Very narrow. Their reporter visited the Merkel headquarters saying the mood was very own. Folk were going home. Over at the Social Democrats, all were upbeat. let's hope it stays that way.

[fedsron2us]

78. This does not seem to be going to the script

being so loudly trumpeted in the right wing press over recent weeks. I thought the German people were supposed to sweep Merkel to power so that she could cure all their ills with 'labour market reform', flat taxes and all the other neo-liberal economic snake oil. Obviously they are much too smart to be conned by all this nonsense.

[Maple]

80. Neither side has won or lost yet

[ignatius 2]

81. Are they using Diebold machines,per chance?

n/t

[sonicx]

84. With 80% of the vote counted, here are the results...

21:52 UTC
CDU, SPD Racing for Photo Finish
With 80 percent of the vote already counted the results are as follows:

CDU: 35.2
SPD: 34.2
Greens: 8.1
FDP: 9.8
Left Party 8.7

In terms of Bundestag seats:

CDU: 225
SPD: 221
FDP: 61
Left Party: 54
Greens: 51

http://www9.dw-world.de/ticker/index.php?lang=en

[norml]

86. No Clear Cut Winner in German Election

No Clear Cut Winner in German Election
Schroeder Victory Unlikely, Exit Polls Show

By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, September 18, 2005; 2:10 PM

BERLIN, Sept. 18 -- German voters ended the reign of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's ruling coalition Sunday, but split their ballots among so many different parties that no group was immediately able to cobble together a new government, according to exit polls.

Although Schroeder's seven-year career as chancellor appeared to be in severe jeopardy, his chief rival, Angela Merkel, also had a disappointing day. Her coalition of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats fell short of winning a majority in the German Parliament, exit polls showed, raising the prospect of political gridlock in the near term.


Merkel appeared before a crowd of supporters about 30 minutes after the polls closed to acknowledge that she lacked the votes to declare herself Germany's new chancellor. She said she would open negotiations immediately with the country's other parties -- including Schroeder's Social Democrats -- in hopes of forging a new alliance to govern Germany, something that could take days or even weeks to sort out.

"The campaign is over and now we need to create a stable government for the people of Germany," Merkel said. "This is our mandate."

Exit polls indicated that the electorate was more fragmented than in any other national election in recent history, a reflection of widespread anxiety over high unemployment and a sputtering economy, as well as a lack of confidence in either Merkel or Schroeder to lead the government.


snip


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091800225.html?nav=hcmodule

[newspeak]

87. unauditable machines

hopefully German citizens pay attention to their voting machines or they'll have the same unauditable elections that we have in the good ole' USA. I hope this isn't a trend around the world. I can just see all the industrialized nations turning into BANANA REPUBLIC? Oh, and what's that I hear? Gropenfuhrer is going to run again in California? If he sins, oops I mean wins again, you know for sure it's the machines!!!!!!

[warrens]

89. I think the Greens might have something to say about that

Not sure if they're big enough to give Schroeder a majority, but I think they are over 10 percent.