sorry i've been out all day--who is running Germany now?

[AlCzervik]

are the elections results in yet and settled?

[are_we_united_yet]

1. I think

neither part has a mandate. So the Christian Democrats (Pro Business) won but couldn't get rid of the Chancellor. Perhaps someone who understands the German Government structure can explain it better (and perhaps more accurately).

[liberaltrucker]

2. Sorry to break the news

But Rove has been spinning so fast that the time-space continuum was upset. The new leader of Germany is a some guy with a funny-looking moustache:sarcasm:

[Kagemusha]

3. A Chancellor has to be picked by a majority of parliamentarians

and if they can't find a majority the president may be forced into the position of picking between two people whose vote tallies are in single digits of each other to run a minority government.

This is if they can't agree on a 'grand coalition' which well, they don't want, but at least it's a way to not be at the mercy of small parties. Though everyone knows it's doomed to failure.

[rumpel]

4. ZDF: SPD 34.3%, CDU 35.2%, Green 8.1%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7% Other 3.9%

http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/0/0,1872,1000000,00.html

[starroute]

5. Actually, everybody lost

The liberal Social Democrats and the conservative Christian Democrats both got a smaller percent of the vote this time than they did in 2002. The Christian Democrats were a smigeon ahead in the voting, but they're more or less tied in the number of seats won. But neither one has a majority, which means some sort of coalition government will be necessary.

However, the second problem is that nobody wants to be pals with the Left party, which consists of old commies and renegade Social Democrats. Leaving them out, either a right-wing coalition of Christian Democrats plus Free Democrats or a left-wing coalition of Social Democrats plus Greens would still be short of an absolute majority.

This may mean that the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats will have to form a coalition with each other -- which nobody wants, because it would result in gridlock and Germany will sink even further into the economic stagnation that this election was supposed to get them out of.

The situation promises to provide endless amusement for weeks to come. :eyes:

[Bumblebee]

6. No one.