Posted on 07/21/2005 2:04:26 PM PDT by Michael81Dus
German President Horst Koehler has agreed to dissolve parliament and allow early elections, probably in September. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder purposely lost a confidence vote on 1 July to pave the way for the early elections, but needed the president's backing.
Mr Schroeder's move followed a humiliating loss for his Social Democrats in regional elections in May.
The opposition Christian Democrats, led by Angela Merkel, are currently well ahead in opinion polls.
Despite the apparent prospect of defeat, Mr Schroeder opted for the early elections to seek a fresh mandate for a controversial reform package.
In this serious situation, our country needs a government that can pursue its goals with steadiness and vigour
President Horst Koehler
His government has lost much support because of Germany's poor economic performance, high unemployment and the tough welfare reforms it has been trying to push through.
On Friday, Mr Schroeder cut short his holiday and returned to Berlin.
At a news conference he welcomed the president's move, saying he would fight the election with all his energy.
While all the main political parties and the majority of Germans are in favour of early elections, Mr Koehler's decision could be overturned by Germany's highest court, the BBC's Tristana Moore in Berlin says.
Several lawmakers have threatened to mount a legal challenge, arguing that an early election is in breach of Germany's constitution, our correspondent says.
'Giant tasks'
In a televised address, President Koehler said that the poll was most likely to be held on 18 September.
Mr Koehler - who holds a largely ceremonial post - said that the chancellor's calls for new poll one year ahead of the original schedule complied with Germany's constitution.
Mr Schroeder is taking a huge political gamble, say analysts
He said the country faced "giant tasks" in attacking its high unemployment and swollen budget deficits.
"In this serious situation, our country needs a government that can pursue its goals with steadiness and vigour," the president said.
"For this, the federal government requires the support of a reliable majority that is able to function."
Recent opinion polls put the Social Democrats about 17 points behind Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats.
If Ms Merkel wins, she will become the country's first female chancellor.
Something for the ping list? Almost three hours after the announcement on TV, it wasn´t posted yet here.
(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
"...Something for the ping list? Almost three hours after the announcement on TV, it wasn´t posted yet here..."
We all knew how his desicion is going to be. Therefore it wasn't very dramatic.
Can you please comment on this snip from an article. It is difficult for me to understand the political environment and what Ms Merkel's support is:
...........
"Thus Germans will have a choice this September between two major tax-increasing parties. But a growing number of Germans seem to prefer the real thing. Support is rising for a new alliance of East German postcommunists, disappointed West German Social Democrats, and radical leftists.
While in other European countries the traditional party structure is being gnawed away by radical right-wing populists, in Germany Oskar Lafontaine has taken on this role. The former Social Democratic Party head, who once unsuccessfully ran for chancellor and did a short stint as finance minister in Chancellor Schröder's first cabinet, is taking advantage of the public's yearning for a paternalist state, one that offers its citizens total care, protection and security. His recipe is protectionism, economic management, and -- of course -- tax increases.
To lure voters from the far right as well, Mr. Lafontaine unabashedly employs nationalist language and calls for reserving German jobs for Germans. In foreign policy, America is the No. 1 enemy. Where Mr. Schröder merely maneuvered strategically, Mr. Lafontaine has made his opposition to the Atlantic alliance crystal clear. To top it off, he shows sympathy for Iran, saying it has a right to nuclear weapons because Israel has them too. Functionaries of the radical right-wing NPD have already applauded him. Some of them have called on their supporters to join the leftist alliance.
For many years, political observers in Germany were fixated on the far right, hoping they would be able to spot a German Jean-Marie Le Pen or Jörg Haider before it would be too late. They should have turned around now and then, for he's suddenly arrived. The fact that he came from the left significantly increases his chances of getting a hearing in the media. What belongs together is growing together -- a movement combining fear of the future and resentment of Anglo-Saxon capitalism and technological progress with support for all-around state protection from all the vagaries of life.
'snip'
No wonder, then, that Mr. Lafontaine's social-national retro-movement can mobilize more supporters than advocates of a market economy, low taxes and open borders."
Mr. Miersch, a columnist for Die Welt, regularly addresses the German state of mind on his Web site, www.maxeiner-miersch.de. Belinda Cooper translated this article from the German.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112128856510284962,00.html?mod=opinion&ojcontent=otep
Yep. First, the next parliament will most probably consist of five parties. The CDU/CSU is going to be the biggest party, ca. 42-45% of the seats. They´re most probably going to form a coalition with the liberals (FDP), which can expect 7/8% of the votes. The 2nd largest party will be the still-ruling Social Democrats (Schröders party), with maybe 27%. The Greens can get up to 9% while the Communists and Labor Unionists party may receive 10/11%.
We´re going to make the labor market more flexible, take away much of the "fire protection", increase the VAT from 16 to 18% but lower the spendings for the social insurances to decrease the costs for labor. Sadly, we cannot afford real tax cuts, but with taking away tax subsidiaries we can lower the income tax for low as well as high incomes. There´ll be reforms on the pensions and health sector. We are going to stop the pullout of nuclear energy which was decided by the current government, but new nuclear facilities aren´t likely to be build. It is highly important to add that the CDU/CSU and FDP hold a majority in the Bundesrat (sort of Senate) so that they can pass all laws without facing difficulties.
On foreign policy we´re going to break the axis Paris-Berlin-Moscow, we´ll show no fear in criticizing Russias policy in Chechnya, which is definitely worse than the situation in Iraq. We´re seeking more dialogue and cooperation with the US, a united Europe must not develop itself against America. But, we definitely oppose a Turkish membership for the EU.
So you knew more than we? It is a highly controversial decision, and as a jurist I believe it was unconstitutional. As a citizen, I welcome the decision.
Mr. Lafontaine is a disappointed and evil, frustrated man. He´s not a Communist, but a Socialist. Since he ran away from responsibility in the government 1999, he made money with his books, which are nothing but a rant against his former party SPD and the economy. This new Communist Party, united with labor unionists is a threat to Schröder, but also Merkel, because it unites all the frustrated jobless and "losers". Therefore, it´s the biggest party in the Eastern states, where many people long for the "good old days in the GDR", when "everyone had work and a sufficient income". Well, they forget to mention anti-person-mines and barbed wire at their borders... We need to address these frustrated, and they need to learn that our system is the only way to economic success. Germany is officially united, the people aren´t.
Mr Dus,
It will be a pleasure seeing a wonderful German leader like Angela Merkel helping to rebuild US-German relations after having jerks like Fischer and Schroeder damaging our alliances.
Please make it so! Get out there and drum up CDP support!
Something to celebrate for Oktoberfest!
CDP ... Meant it to be CDU
"Sadly, we cannot afford real tax cuts"
This is not true. You cannot afford NOT to have tax cuts. Taxation is killing Europe. Unfortunately, so few Europeans seem to remember market economics.
In the US, after the tax cuts of Bush, our economy is generating tax receipt *increases of 14%*!!!! The deficit
is dropping by $100 billion from last year, even with generous spending increases.
A Tax Increase is what ended Margaret Thatcher's career.
Obsession with balancing budgets is what stops the reinvigoration of the economy and freeing it up.
Supply-side economics could save Europe the way it saved USA under Ronald Reagan. (And note that the US created 30+ million new jobs since 1980, while Europe has generated a tiny fraction of that.)
I've read that the new "Linke" party of Lafontaine and Gysi may get 12 percent of the vote. Isn't this perhaps a good thing in that those votes might otherwise go to the SPD and Greens? A splintered Left is an ineffectual Left.
ping for interesting news from Germany
Europe list?
"...Sadly, we cannot afford real tax cuts..."
BuHuHaHa! Although the CDU is better than the SPD for some reasons, this party is part of the problem. The so called "soziale Marktwirtschaft", which is a mixture between socialism and free market, was a invention of the CDU. Most of its protagonists are usually state payed officials (i.e. teachers, civil servants, functionarys, magistrates) who have only little interest in a real change to more free market. They prefer sucking the system. The entrepreneurs that are member in this party, see it just as the smallest illness among the other German political choices. In fact the CDU of today is the SPD of the 80ties. Germany deserves better than that.
Of course -as a real conservative- I embrace every change in my country since it only can get better. Nevertheless I am afraid that the half-hearted recipes of the CDU are no solution. We have to get rid of the blown up state through saving and sourcing out. Many duties of the state could be transfered to the private sector, since the servants of the German state are the real locusts of our time (not the entrepreneurs). Instead of rolling up the sleeves and kick out all dispensables, Merkel is going to arise the added value tax ("Mehrwertsteuer" in German - BTW - "Mehrwert" is a item, that was invented by Karl Marx).
Germany would be better off, if we could change our system fundamentally towards more direct democracy and free market. The CDU and the SPD are the parties to block all those progresses. Although I am not voting for the CDU, I will make my cross in the line of the FDP, since we need the change from this moron Schroeder to something better.
"Obsession with balancing budgets is what stops the reinvigoration of the economy and freeing it up."
The problem is: Keynes has been proven wrong time and again. It doesn't matter if you have higher taxes now or have higher taxes for your children, because they have to repay your loans. Both are HIGHER TAXES. Instead it is the goddam duty of the state to save money and reduce spending.
Germany could reduce its taxes by 20% over night if we didn't have to pay these gigantic interest rates.
The problem is, that in the German east the "Linkspartei" is going to be the biggest party (30% +). Although they will not come to much influence soon they could profile themselves as the only "real" opposition. This is dangerous, because in the medium-term they will take over all of the federal states in the east. In this case I would prefer a "divorce" between east and west Germany, because I do not have the will to feed communist bloodsuckers even longer. Every Euro spent in east Germany is subsidised by 45% of transfers out of the west. It is an open secret, that the reunification driven by the former chancellor Helmut Kohl, was one of the biggest political mistakes that ever happend to the people in western Germany.
Of course I welcome his decision too.
Anyway he had not much choice, since our current administration is such a disaster, that waiting until 2006 would have meant major damage of Germany in every way. Since I believe that he takes his adjuration seriously, there was no room for maneuver.
You´re right with regard that the Left will act ineffectual. But don´t forget that the Commies will get 12% and form the third-largest party in the parliament! This is bad news!! Plus, this could lead to a grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD, meaning that the wrong compromises have to be made. The best is a CDU/CSU/FDP coalition, but with the Left still lying about our economic problems it´ll be a hard race until Sept 18th. We need to fight, and we´re still leading. Still.
Make a proposal how to pay for tax cuts!! Engage in a party and try to improve things instead of joining the league of frustrated voters who can´t do otherwise than criticizing.
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