Posted on 09/30/2005 11:01:12 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
DRESDEN, Germany - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and challenger Angela Merkel battled over a last remaining seat in parliament Friday, hoping to get an edge in a weekend vote and end Germany's political stalemate.
Merkel suggested that Sunday's balloting in the eastern city of Dresden might prompt Schroeder to back off his bid to stay in the chancellery.
But Schroeder showed no sign of yielding, reminding voters of his popular opposition to the war in Iraq and calling his rivals "not fit" to govern because they couldn't stand up to "big partners" — such as the United States.
The rest of Germany voted Sept. 18. The election in the Dresden district was delayed because of a candidate's death.
Victory would provide a psychological and public relations boost as they struggle over who will run a coalition government. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and Schroeder's Social Democrats are trying to join together to form the next government after voters denied both of them majorities for their preferred center-left and center-right alliances.
Talks are complicated by both leaders' claiming the mandate to be chancellor. Merkel says she has the right to lead because her party has the most seats of any in parliament.
Although Dresden won't change the final result much, every seat counts because Merkel's Christian Democrats and their Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, currently have a bare three-seat edge — 225 to 222 — over Schroeder's Social Democrats in a 613-seat lower house.
It's possible that more than one seat could change hands because of Germany's system of proportional representation, with voters casting two votes: one for an individual candidate and another for a party slate. But the most likely outcome from Dresden was for Merkel's margin to grow or shrink by one seat.
"Strengthen the CDU — that is important, because we want to be able to put a strong signature on the next government," Merkel said at a rally, using her party's initials.
The message was echoed a little later by Schroeder, who told supporters: "It is important that the Social Democrats become stronger."
Merkel suggested Sunday's vote might prompt Schroeder to drop his claim. Germany needs "new policies — and those can only be policies that the CDU has a significant hand in forming," she said. "When the polling stations close in Dresden, I am certain that the chancellor will gradually see that too."
Schroeder showed no sign of backing down at his own rally. "I would like to finish what we began at the head of a new government," he said, gesturing emphatically.
He alluded to his vehement opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq — a stance that was particularly popular in the ex-communist east. At the time of the war, Merkel criticized him for ruling out the use of force.
"I have never disputed the will for peace of the conservatives in this country," Schroeder said.
"But the question is whether they are capable of imposing their will, also against big partners," he added. "They unfortunately have not proved that so far and that is why, unfortunately, they are not fit for leadership."
"I am sticking to this, and so will a future government: the question of war and peace, as far as Germany is concerned, will be decided in Berlin and in no other capital," Schroeder said to cheers.
"We are the strongest group — you can contribute to making us stronger," Merkel said in Dresden.
In the last election in 2002, the Dresden district elected a lawmaker from Merkel's party over one from Schroeder's party by a narrow margin.
If they vote for the Socialist Weasel, let's fire bomb 'em again.
"Schroeder showed no sign of yielding, reminding voters of his popular opposition to the war in Iraq and calling his rivals "not fit" to govern because they couldn't stand up to "big partners" — such as the United States..."
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...You lost the election, IDIOT! You got LESS VOTES! What is WRONG with this person?!?!
I am sorry I know its wrong, but that made me laugh out loud!
Whatever the outcome, Germany is in a mess. If the SPD clings to power, it will only mean further economic decline, with more and more German industry shifting eastward. If Merkel takes power with her narrow majority, she will be so hamstrung as to be unable to to accomplish the bold reforms the country needs. An economic recession, or depression, will turn the present Bundesrepublik into another Weimar Republik. (It won't do us much good either.)
Why should we even have bases there to begin with? WWII has been over 60 years.
Everybody delcared before the election not to go in bed with the Communists, so he can´t claim "we´ve a leftist majority". It´s so simple: 1. in a coalition of two parliamentary groups the larger gets the Prime Minister and 2. each parliamentary groups decides which of them shall seat as Minister, PM, etc. These two rules are basics in our Republic, and Schröder and his SPD can´t change that. A recent poll says that 3 of 4 Germans believe his behavious is inadequate.
But a Grand Coalition won´t last longer than 2 years, I believe.
Why do you´ve bases in Japan? Why do you have Navy Carriers? Because of strategic reasons. The US has a rapid response army, and to make that sure, you have bases in the heart of Europe. From Germany, you´re in two hours in Moscow, in four hours in Baghdad or after one hour in Paris or London. Germany is the other side of the Atlantic bridge that starts in New York or Washington DC. That´s the reason the US keeps some 25 or 30,000 soldiers there.
I'm not quite sure that the whole of Germany is appalled at Schroeder's behavior post-election More of that will be revealed after the Dresden vote tomorrow. We must remember that the CDU/CSU received a plurality of only three or four more seats than did Schroder's SPD. The big gainer in the selection was the FDP, coming in around 10%, but who, according to some published reports, find themselves at odds with Merkel. I find this regrettable because if I had to claim a party here in Germany, I would probably opt for the FDP.
Whoever wins the post game-game, it is clear that the body politic in Germany is not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to reform its economy to cope with 21st-century globalization. Just over the horizon there are 1.4 billion Chinese and one billion Indians mobilizing to invade one of the richest and most vulnerable economic prizes and in the world: Western Europe. They're not going to come across the borders, which are porous enough as countries like Germany have surrendered that portion of their sovereignty to the European Union, but they're coming through the Internet and they cannot be stopped. My neighbors here in Germany simply do not have a clue. This entire election has been a fight to rearrange the deck chairs.
The fact that the left has received a majority (not a plurality) of the vote demonstrates better than words the utter obliviousness of the Teutonic mind.
When the recdkoning comes, it will not be pretty. Better the Left is in the saddle when the electorate looks for scapegoats.
The people (at least 55% of them) have no clue of economy, therefore no understanding of what´s going on, and therefore they think everything can stay the same.
I don´t know why you think that the FDP would not stand with us? The FDP and its chairman Westerwelle stand strong behind Merkel, they even refused talks with the Red-Green government about a coalition. That´s why I - as a CDU-man - had no problems to tell swing voters they could vote for the FDP this time. The FDP has decided to govern only with the CDU/CSU, and with noone else.
Yes, of course, the evil US must be countered. Now, for Russia or China, that's a different matter, just bend over and don't forget the lubrication.
I'm getting real tired of this attitude, how transparent can they be? Steyn is right, if the CDU/FDP can't run the show, let the commies run things into the ground and get the blame. I know that's harsh but how is Merkel supposed to change things now? With a Grand Coalition, she'll get a good share of the blame.
from the "Germans aren't the only ones" dep't:
Germans look forward to life after Schröder
David Crossland, Dresden
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1807002,00.html
"Despite the apparent deadlock, Schröder has been softening his position since election night when he tried to present his narrow defeat as a victory... while the German media have compared his reluctance to step down gracefully with that of Julius Caesar."
The Germans: A Lot Like Us
By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9558224/site/newsweek/
"But perhaps the main reason the election cannot be seen as anti-reform is that the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens, who received 42 percent of the vote, are the parties that, just two years ago, put through the country's most comprehensive economic-reform program in 40 years. That program has its problems, it is not nearly enough, but the fact remains that this was more reform than in any major European country in a decade. The SPD campaign posters read creating jobs requires the courage to reform. Merkel's posters said germany needs change. Between them, the two got more than 70 percent of the vote. Does that sound like a mandate against reform?"
"how is Merkel supposed to change things now? With a Grand Coalition, she'll get a good share of the blame."
It all depends on how grand the coalition turns out to be. The only coalition that works on paper is this Grand Coalition, and it is probably going to be a weak gov't. When the EU gets done doing whatever it is going to do with Turkish EU membership, most of the gov'ts of Europe may wind up just as hamstrung after elections. A German "Grand Coalition" would after be like the proposed European Union as it is right now and will be for the foreseeable.
Call me Ishmael, but it seems to me that Schroeder was unable to successfully stand up to big partners.
Voters in Dresden have last say in fraught German election
10.02.2005, 11:34 AM
AFX News Limited
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/10/02/afx2255125.html
"...the election, which was postponed for two weeks due to the death of a neo-Nazi candidate, could offer either Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder or conservative opposition leader Angela Merkel a key boost in their rival bids to become Germany's next leader."
The odds have now settled on Merkel as Chancellor. But what will she have to trade away? America is the most likely object to be ditched because it might give her running room for economic reforms and we could not be more unpopular, so it will be cheap. The combination is irresistable.
The other day while traveling through Moscow in a bus with full of Germans I remarked as we passed the statue of Lenin that it drew no notice much less criticism from the Germans for a monument to a mass murderer. Indeed, said I, a statue of George Bush would certainly generate caustic observations.
No one disagreed with me.
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