Posted on 09/12/2014 7:54:41 AM PDT by Olog-hai
A quarter-century after the Berlin Wall crumbled, an election this weekend may show whether Germany is ready for its first state governor from the party descended from East Germanys communist rulers.
The opposition Left Party hopes to end the 24-year grip of Chancellor Angela Merkels conservatives on the governor's office in eastern Thuringia state Sunday.
While his party emerged from the old communist guard, Left Party candidate Bodo Ramelow is anything but a throwback to Soviet times. The 58-year-old, a practicing Protestant and West German native, went east when Germany reunited in 1990 as a labor union official and later joined the Left Partys ex-communist predecessor. [ ]
Still, his rise shows how unease over the partys communist-era heritage has dimmed over the years. Memories of communist rule have faded and the Left Party itself, though it remains strongest and best-organized in the east, has evolved into a modern nationwide political force that embraces views from the hard to moderate left.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Hell....We beat that...One of our “illustrious” senators headed the KKK.
Merkel is a Conservative?
Good question.
Yes, AP, he’s exactly a throwback to old Soviet times.
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