Premier's re-election sabotaged

FAZ ^ | 18 Mar 2005 | Aaron Kirchfeld

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Premier's re-election sabotaged: Dissenter creates the ‘darkest day'

Thursday was to be a crowning moment in the career of Heide Simonis, the day on which she was to be re-elected as premier of Schleswig-Holstein. Instead, it turned into a disaster.

The dramatic turn of events began when lawmakers met in Kiel to pick the person who will lead the state for the next five years. To be voted premier, Simonis needed the absolute majority of 35 votes.

The slim majority seemed assured thanks to the unusual arrangement she and her Social Democratic Party forged to preserve their place in office after having suffered a defeat at the polls in February. First, they created a minority coalition with their old partner, the Greens. Then, the new coalition won the support of the Southern Schleswig Voter Federation, a small party that represents the state's Danish and Frisian minority. The federation has two seats in the parliament, and its support enables the group to have a one-seat advantage over the rival parties of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats.

But in all four rounds of secret balloting, Simonis received only 34 votes, one shy of victory. This signaled that one person in the coalition was abstaining. Peter Harry Carstensen, the head of the Christian Democratic parliamentary group, also failed to receive a majority.

Social Democrats were particularly troubled by the outcome. ”This is the darkest day in the history of the Social Democrats in Schleswig-Holstein,” said party member Lothar Hay.

After the fourth vote, the session was abruptly ended, and a distraught Simonis was escorted from the building. The opposition reiterated its demands that a grand coalition between the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats should be set up. The next session is set for April 17.

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Strictly a local election in one of the states of Germany...but the most chaotic and amusing event in 30 years occurred. The backroom deal with the liberal left with the Greens and the local Danish party (2 votes in the entire state parliament)...kept falling apart every time a secret vote was made. They had to have the minimum votes of 35 to win...and never cleared more than 34 each time they did the ballot. And then the right wing conservitive party...had the problem. It would appear that someone amongst the entire parliament...is out to have some fun.