So this weekend, most major German parties have launched their electoral campaign for the European elections and in effect for the general elections for the Bundestag (Parliament) in September. 2009 is what is called a Superwahljahr, or "super election year" because there is an unusually high number of elections in the country: Apart from the European and Parliamentary elections, there are five elections for state parliaments and eight local elections, as well as the presidential election.
Of those elections, only the parliamentary election in Hesse has taken place. The next upcoming ones are that of the federal President on 23. May (although that is done by the federal council, with no say by the people) and then the European elections on 7. June.
To give you people a bit of a background, there are currently five parties in the Bundestag:
The government is currently made up of a grand coalition of CDU/CSU (usually referred to only as the "Union) and SPD ("Black-red" coalition). Chancellor Merkel is of the CDU, vice-chancellor and foreign minister Steinmeier is a Social Democrat. Coalitions are the norm in Germany, where you don't vote for the chancellor and ministers in person, but the parties. The last time a party had absolute majority was in 1957. The SPD is currently the most powerful party in the country, after surprisingly winning the 2005 elections with 34.2% however, the CDU/CSU union is the strongest fraction with a combined total of 35.2%.
There are no clear predictions of whom may ally with whom after the general elections, the only cases that are clear is that nobody will enter a coalition with the leftists, and the Greens will not join a coalition with the Union and the FDP ("Black-Yellow-Green" or "Jamaica" coalition), but are open to anything else. The FDP said it favours a Black-Yellow coalition, and a continuation of the current coalition is possible as well, although Union and SPD hate working together.
Each party is present in at least one state government. Germany is made up of the sixteen states Bavaria (CSU/FDP), Baden-Württemberg CDU/FDP/DVP), Rhineland-Palatinate (SPD), Saarland (CDU), Hesse (CDU/FDP), Northrhine-Westphalia (CDU/FDP), Lower Saxony (CDU(FDP), Bremen (SPD/Greens), Hamburg (CDU/Greens), Schleswig-Holstein (CDU/SPD), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (SPD/CDU), Brandenburg (SPD/CDU), Berlin (SPD/Leftists), Saxony (CDU/SPD), Saxony-Anhalt (CDU/SPD) and Thuringia (CDU).
Of the minor parties, the strongest one is the National Democratic Party (NPD), which is extreme right-winged and commonly considered nazi. The party is still within the margins of legality, but considered to support local, violent nazi groups. The party plays virtually no role in former Western Germany, but is present in two parliaments of Eastern, or "New" states (Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). The party is known for its grasrroot activity, and it is impossible to estimate how much political influence it actually has, and therefore unpredictable whether they can get any seats in the Bundestag in the forthcoming elections. Other political parties play no role in federal politics.
There are two major issues that are addressed in the campaign, and that are more or less intertwined: The economic crisis and social politics. About a year ago, there were major public discussions about how a large part of the German population is descending to poverty, and a new, wide "lower class" is forming. Many hold the Schröder administration (1998-2005) responsible, particularly the social reforms (Keywords: Agenda 2010 and Hartz-concept) which cut government spendings for the welfare network, in particular for those who have been unemployed for a longer time; this was an attempt to reduce alarmingly high unemployment rates. Although these rates have indeed gone back since, the number of underpaid day jobs and especially people who have two or more jobs, have risen. Many people find it scandalous that the government tolerates or even supports jobs which have a wage of one Euro per hour, or 400 Euros per month (beyond which you don't get any welfare), claiming that a dignified life is not possible under these conditions.
The crisis is felt more in the east than in the west, and many areas of eastern Germany are suffering from significant depopulation, unemployment, and in effect, poverty.
Union and SPD are basically supportive of the current way of things. Before the 2005 elections, left-winged SPD members who did not support the system left the party and in a complicated series of events founded a new party on the foundations of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) which at that time was the leading leftist party; the new party is called DIE LINKE. and believes that government spendings on the welfare network must increase, while support for the capitalist economy should be cut back. Incidentally, the PDS was formed by former members of the SED, the communist ruling party of East Germany.
The FDP believes that the key to reducing unemployment and raising living standards is by cutting taxes. The governing parties are indeed planning to do so, after the VAT was actually raised by two per cent after the 2005 elections.
The Greens are more or less supportive of the SPD ways (the Schröder administration was an SPD/Green coalition), their main focus are naturally ecologic questions, although they are not reduced to that and indeed have carefully thought out ideas and concepts.
The NPD is basically saying the same things as the leftists, although they obviously try to point out that immigrant workers are part of the problem. They also claim that all parliamentary parties have lost touch with the people and only care for power, while the NPD itself tries to style itself as the little man's advocate. Like the Leftists, the NPD has its strongholds in the east, unlike the Leftists, however, they don't have any significant foothold at all in the West.
That's all for now. I will tell you my own opinions at a later point.
Of those elections, only the parliamentary election in Hesse has taken place. The next upcoming ones are that of the federal President on 23. May (although that is done by the federal council, with no say by the people) and then the European elections on 7. June.
To give you people a bit of a background, there are currently five parties in the Bundestag:
- The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is conservative (centre to centre-right) (colour: Black)
- The Social Democrats (SPD), who are centre-left (colour: Red)
- The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) (Colour: Green)
- The "Leftist Party" (DIE LINKE.), socialist (colour: Red)
- The Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is liberal (colour: Yellow)
- The Bavarian-only Christian Social Union (CSU), which is allied with the CDU on federal level (colour: Black)
The government is currently made up of a grand coalition of CDU/CSU (usually referred to only as the "Union) and SPD ("Black-red" coalition). Chancellor Merkel is of the CDU, vice-chancellor and foreign minister Steinmeier is a Social Democrat. Coalitions are the norm in Germany, where you don't vote for the chancellor and ministers in person, but the parties. The last time a party had absolute majority was in 1957. The SPD is currently the most powerful party in the country, after surprisingly winning the 2005 elections with 34.2% however, the CDU/CSU union is the strongest fraction with a combined total of 35.2%.
There are no clear predictions of whom may ally with whom after the general elections, the only cases that are clear is that nobody will enter a coalition with the leftists, and the Greens will not join a coalition with the Union and the FDP ("Black-Yellow-Green" or "Jamaica" coalition), but are open to anything else. The FDP said it favours a Black-Yellow coalition, and a continuation of the current coalition is possible as well, although Union and SPD hate working together.
Each party is present in at least one state government. Germany is made up of the sixteen states Bavaria (CSU/FDP), Baden-Württemberg CDU/FDP/DVP), Rhineland-Palatinate (SPD), Saarland (CDU), Hesse (CDU/FDP), Northrhine-Westphalia (CDU/FDP), Lower Saxony (CDU(FDP), Bremen (SPD/Greens), Hamburg (CDU/Greens), Schleswig-Holstein (CDU/SPD), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (SPD/CDU), Brandenburg (SPD/CDU), Berlin (SPD/Leftists), Saxony (CDU/SPD), Saxony-Anhalt (CDU/SPD) and Thuringia (CDU).
Of the minor parties, the strongest one is the National Democratic Party (NPD), which is extreme right-winged and commonly considered nazi. The party is still within the margins of legality, but considered to support local, violent nazi groups. The party plays virtually no role in former Western Germany, but is present in two parliaments of Eastern, or "New" states (Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). The party is known for its grasrroot activity, and it is impossible to estimate how much political influence it actually has, and therefore unpredictable whether they can get any seats in the Bundestag in the forthcoming elections. Other political parties play no role in federal politics.
There are two major issues that are addressed in the campaign, and that are more or less intertwined: The economic crisis and social politics. About a year ago, there were major public discussions about how a large part of the German population is descending to poverty, and a new, wide "lower class" is forming. Many hold the Schröder administration (1998-2005) responsible, particularly the social reforms (Keywords: Agenda 2010 and Hartz-concept) which cut government spendings for the welfare network, in particular for those who have been unemployed for a longer time; this was an attempt to reduce alarmingly high unemployment rates. Although these rates have indeed gone back since, the number of underpaid day jobs and especially people who have two or more jobs, have risen. Many people find it scandalous that the government tolerates or even supports jobs which have a wage of one Euro per hour, or 400 Euros per month (beyond which you don't get any welfare), claiming that a dignified life is not possible under these conditions.
The crisis is felt more in the east than in the west, and many areas of eastern Germany are suffering from significant depopulation, unemployment, and in effect, poverty.
Union and SPD are basically supportive of the current way of things. Before the 2005 elections, left-winged SPD members who did not support the system left the party and in a complicated series of events founded a new party on the foundations of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) which at that time was the leading leftist party; the new party is called DIE LINKE. and believes that government spendings on the welfare network must increase, while support for the capitalist economy should be cut back. Incidentally, the PDS was formed by former members of the SED, the communist ruling party of East Germany.
The FDP believes that the key to reducing unemployment and raising living standards is by cutting taxes. The governing parties are indeed planning to do so, after the VAT was actually raised by two per cent after the 2005 elections.
The Greens are more or less supportive of the SPD ways (the Schröder administration was an SPD/Green coalition), their main focus are naturally ecologic questions, although they are not reduced to that and indeed have carefully thought out ideas and concepts.
The NPD is basically saying the same things as the leftists, although they obviously try to point out that immigrant workers are part of the problem. They also claim that all parliamentary parties have lost touch with the people and only care for power, while the NPD itself tries to style itself as the little man's advocate. Like the Leftists, the NPD has its strongholds in the east, unlike the Leftists, however, they don't have any significant foothold at all in the West.
That's all for now. I will tell you my own opinions at a later point.
