GERMAN ELECTION (Running Thread): Schroeder by a Nosehair

Die Welt- translated ^ | 9/22/02 | Die Welt

[RobFromGa]

Election turnout probably smaller than 1998

Large opinion

Berlin/Rostock (dpa) - with the election to the Bundestag a smaller participation than before drew four years starting from 1998 lay it Germany far with 82,2 per cent in the late Sunday afternoon. However the returning officers reported high letter voter at the same time of a ratio. Everywhere the letter voters were not already taken in account. Thus a factor of uncertainty remained existing.

As one inquires around approximately three hours before locking of the polling stations resulted in, to against 15.00 o'clock in most Lands of the Federal Republic a clearly lower election turnout was registered. In Saxonia-Anhalt the participation lay at this time approximately 15 points under the values of the yearly 1998, in other Lands of the Federal Republic up to eight points. Also in the capital went to Berlin with herbstlich to cool weather clearly less voter to the urns.

On the other hand there was the tendency in few other Lands of the Federal Republic also to an easily higher election turnout - in such a way in Schleswig-Holstein and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where at the same time a new federal state parliament was selected.

In Saxonia the returning officers spoke first of a surprisingly large resonance, then the interest decreased/went back however clearly. Also in Bavaria the choice encountered in the first hours in some cities a substantially larger interest than 1998. There the participation up to 12 per cent points in the comparison rose to the same time before four years. Against noon this tendency decreased/went back likewise, of a clear minus was later spoken. It was similar in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg.

From other Lands of the Federal Republic a rather weak resonance was determined. In Hessen, Thuringia, Saarland and Bremen the values decreased/went back. Also in Rhineland-Palatinate, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony the crush was smaller than 1998. In Baden-Wuerttemberg it meant: Election turnout constantly.

The polling stations for the election to the Bundestag had opened o'clock punctually at 08.00. 61,2 million Federal citizen were called to select a new parliament. With the election of the federal parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were entitled to vote about 1.4 million citizen.

After last inquiries and prognoses to the exit the SPD with Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was appropriate for the election to the Bundestag scarcely before the union with her candidate for the chancellorship Edmund Stoiber (CSU). Since also the smaller parties FDP and the Green were strongly estimated approximately in each case equal, the continuation of the red-green coalition was considered as uncertain. For a government majority in the parliament it could be crucial whether the Party of Democratic Socialism draws again into the Bundestag or not.

The Social Democrats set to come into the proximity of their result from 1998 to. At that time they reached 40.9 per cent of the secondary voices. CDU/CSU had slipped before four years to 35,1 per cent, their secondaryworst result with elections to the Bundestag. The Greens reached 6.7 per cent, the FDP came on 6,2 per cent. The Party of Democratic Socialism overcame the five-per cent hurdle with 5,1 per cent scarcely.

After last inquiries in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a confirmation of the red-red coalition of SPD and Party of Democratic Socialism under head of the government Harald Ringstorff (SPD) applied as extremely probable. 1998 had the SPD 34.3, which reaches Party of Democratic Socialism 24.4 and the CDU 30.2 per cent.

[eabinga]

How do you say "dangling chad" in German?

Beats me, up until the florida elections, I thought Chad was a country in africa.

[tomahawk]

Computer projections showing 37.1 SPD
39.1 CDU
9.4 Greens
7.2 FDP

SPD-Greens (Red/Green) 47.5
CDU/FDP (moderates) 46.3

[Lessismore]

http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,6591_A_641614_1_A,00.html

Exit Poll Shows Conservative Lead in German Election

An exit poll Sunday showed Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber with a slight lead over Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats.

The first exit poll of voters taken in Germany on Sunday showed the conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union leading Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats by 2 percentage points.

The first exit poll of German voters on Sunday showed a slight lead for the country’s conservative opposition and its candidate, Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber.

In its prognosis, the pollster Infratest-Dimap predicted the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union would win 39 percent of the vote. The exit poll showed Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s party, the Social Democrats, winning 37 percent, the Greens gaining 9.5 percent of the seats in Germany’s parliament and the liberal Free Democrats winning 7 percent.

Participation in Sunday’s election among Germany’s 61.2 million eligible voters was markedly lower this year than during the last election in 1998. According to Federal Elections Director Johann Hahlen, only 43 percent of the country’s voters had made it to their local polling stations by 2 p.m., just a few hours before they were set to close.

[eabinga]

Union ist gaining!!

[Diddle E. Squat]

From the map it looks like reunification is what has sunk Germany into socialist dominance. No?

[eabinga]

Best link on the net for results: http://wahl.tagesschau.de/flash/wahlflash.html

Same as the ones they are showing on TV...

[Dog]

Can someone please give us an update......I just got in..

[eabinga]

From the map it looks like reunification is what has sunk Germany into socialist dominance. No?

Right you are...

[RightWhale]

This is the most amazing automatic translation. German used to seem close to English, but now it seems to be from another planet.

[tomahawk]

Deutsche Welle is saying the Red-Green (puke) coalition looks likely to return to power, showing that there is an anti-U.S. (they call it "anti-war") majority there.

If the Germans will not let us use our bases in Germany to defend the U.S., then we should pull our bases out.

[Lessismore]

In a Die Welt popup, the leader of the CSU seems to say that if the Union gets the largest vote, that they have first chance to form a coalition and therefore a government.

Goppel: "against us none" governs

CSU Secretary-General Thomas Goppel excluded a government without the union after the first computer forecasts. CDU/CSU are clearly strongest parliamentary group. Gegen us governs none, said Goppel in a first statement. Red-green with this election result resigned. With whom the union will govern, must are waiting.

[tomahawk]

That's a great link. Thanks!

[eabinga]

Can someone please give us an update......I just got in..

Too close to call....

Stoiber speaking now....Stoiber very pleased, standing ovation...

[Dog]

I clicked that link .......who is who....I need a primer.

[Dog]

That is a great link BTW ...thank you for doing this for all of us..

[eabinga]

Stoiber in the lead now!

301 seats for Union + FDP
297 for SPD and greens

[tomahawk]

CDU/CSU are the good guys. FDP is their ally. SPD are socialists. Greens (freaks) are their ally.

[Husker24]

15.00 o'clock?........huh

[Dog]

Go Stroiber!!!!!

[eabinga]

I clicked that link .......who is who....I need a primer

Hochrechnung = Prognosis
Gewinn/Verlust = win/loss
Sitze = Seats
Ostdeutschland = east germany
Westdeutschland = west germany
Vergleich SPD/CDU = comparison SPD/CDU
Vergleich Grüne/FDP = comparison green/FDP

CDU/CSU Union and FPD are the good guys
SPD, GRÜN and PDS are the bad guys