On the Spot: What Schröder is Up To

Time on Line ^ | 9/19/2005 | Staff Writers

[Revolting cat!]

[tophat9000]

There's no denying it: here in Germany everybody sees this as a major defeat for Merkel and a victory for Schröder who came back from nowhere. A paradox.

Any particular reason for the last minute mo for Schröder?

[CyberAnt]

And .. Schroder was all over the TV saying "she doesn't have a mandate" .. Geeeeeeee ..?? Where have we heard that before. If she got more votes .. SHE HAS A MANDATE!

[ukman]

Sure there are reasons. See the other German election threads for details.

[AFPhys]

My first inclination, were I Merkel, is a two fold approach:

1) See if they will join me without anything in the way of concessions, for the good of Germany, and to give the plurality of Germans their governing chance.

2) If they do not join me, I bow out with a statement that until I am able to achieve a sufficient majority, I am unwilling to take the reins of a hobbled government - that perhaps in a year or two the majority of Germans will at last decide my/our time has come - then stand back and watch the continued deterioration of Germany expressing great regret that was the choice of Shroeder and those who lent him sufficient support.

[ukman]

1) No coalition is EVER formed without both sides making concessions. Most Germans did not vote for the CDU/FDP, in fact more voted for left-of-centre parties. That's the plain fact.

2) If Merkel fails to form a government, Schröder will - without her, but with other members of her party - to carry out the economic reforms he feels are needed but couldn't do before. He will then make an appeal basd on the greater good of Germany.

He's a cunning old bugger. It looks like he has Merkel over a barrel.

[AFPhys]

Could be.

I don't think he has the support for the economic reforms needed yet, though. It is going to take someone with much stronger principles to get this done, I believe.

[Schweinhund]

no, that is ridiculous...before the vote, schroeder ruled out collaborating with the linkspartei. apart from that their program directly contradicts his own and plans to 'correct' the reforms made under his government period.

schroeder won't collaborate with the linkspartei. he AND the linkspartei made that clear before and after the vote.

merkel is just not a good chancellor candidate. she does not have what it takes, this election proves it quite clearly. she is NOT a british maggie thatcher, don't trust the 'hard look' pictures. merkel is the real gore in terms of charisma.

[moose2004]

But in the end CDU (225) and FDP (61) won more seats than SDP (222) and the Greens (51). If Merkel cannot coax the the Greens or SDP to form a coalition who will the CHARISMATIC Schroeder work with? As you say, the Left Party will not work with him, and the FDP has said no. All he has left is the CDU and they will only work with SDP if Merkel is Chancellor. If Schroeder cannot form a coalition the President will most likely ask Merkel to form a minority government or he will call a new election. I find it amusing that the German media is only focussing on the fact that the CDU performed much worse than expected, 35.2%, their lowest showing since WWII, but they don't tout the fact that Schroeder's SDP also had their lowest showing since WWII (34%). All we hear about is how Merkel blew it and how Schroeder is the CHARISMATIC COMEBACK CHANCELLOR. What a joke, the man has presided over one of the worst economies in German history. I predict Schroeder is out as Chancellor, it's only a matter of time.