Angela Merkel Government reeling
By: Geraldine Gonzalez de la Vega
Pictured: Aerial view of the Landtag in Düsseldorf on the banks of the Rhine.
On Sunday were held elections in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW called by its German acronym), the most populous state in Germany. These elections were very important for the government of Angela Merkel for several reasons including the fact that it came to the Kanzleramt in Berlin in 2005 by Jürgen Rüttgers of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) NRW's government seized the Social Democrats, forcing the then German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD), to submit a question of trust.
NRW has about 18 million inhabitants, contributes over 20% of national GDP and is an important mining and industrial area. NRW is said that if it were a separate state, would take place 17 th of the world's economies, is that here are many of the largest companies in Germany and are manufactured just over 20% of exports of this country. So that the financial issue is one of the most important for this region. NRW was governed since 1966 by the Social Democrats (SPD by its German acronym) to May 2005. In him not SPD-Green government of Gerhard Schröder was already dragging high percentages of unemployment and the resistance within his own party to be at either the right to promote certain changes in the security system social. In his campaign Rüttgers promised change, improve the economic situation to promote job creation, many believed in him, and promises of subsidies for coal, wind power, unemployment and educational issues. After 39 years of government, the SPD lost the election by a margin of 7% compared to the CDU, the social stronghold was lost. This result represented and the loss of all federal states for the ruling coalition, forcing the SPD in Berlin to react. In July, Schröder presented a question of confidence in the Bundestag (lower house) agreed with her coalition to dissolve the chamber and call new elections to give him the legitimacy to promote his cabinet working agenda. The issue of trust was lost on the contrary, that is, who voted against him were his party (SPD) and his partner (Green). The opposition parties were against of the solution as they felt it was a hoax, so filed a motion for constitutionality. The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of Schroeder arguing that the government believed it was necessary capacity to govern and that this mechanism was a lawful and legitimate. Then Federal President Horst Köhler, dissolved the chamber and called elections for September. Throughout the summer the polls put the SPD-Green coalition in the lead, while the CDU's Angela Merkel stood down. On the night of September 18, 2005, closed the boxes and began to make known the numbers. The SPD had lost 4 points from the previous election (2002), while the CDU despite having lost 3 points, stood slightly to the head. Both parties had the worst results ever, with 35% and 34%, the CDU and the SPD were forced to form a government with Angela Merkel at the helm, because his party had obtained 4 mandates more than the SPD. Gerhard Schröder retired from politics.
Back to NRW. With the results of May 2005, Jürgen Rüttgers the CDU formed a government with the liberal FDP. Among the unfulfilled campaign promises include the school system reform and the fight against unemployment, in addition to calls on the government for favoring large companies like E. On power The CDU since 2004, presented as agenda setting tuition for all public universities, so that one of the first actions of the Government Rüttgers was charging € 500 semester, an issue that has not been well received in the universities and caused many demonstrations and student strikes at the institutions. During the last year dealt Rüttgers headlines with racist or troubled by conflicts of interest, coupled with the failure of Opel and out of Nokia, which resulted in impressive job losses.
Although still a month ago, polls still placed him above the SPD, Rüttgers could not stand well with the voters. Meanwhile, the federal government tried to circumvent the Greek crisis using a bad strategy. Angela Merkel decided to defer the decision for several weeks in Greece ahead of elections in NRW, knowing that the economic issue in this state is the most important. You could not tell the voters that are not rescued Opel and its thousands of jobs, that nothing was done with the departure of Nokia and its thousands of places, which may charge tuition to students by forcing them into debt, and yes it could provide 20 thousand million euros to the Greeks. They knew that the angry voter. But the reality is that the Greek situation could not wait and instead of taking the decision and control the damage, the CDU decided to wait and wait until just five days before the election, they broke out in Greece face. In what could have been a national issue controllable and understandable, became a local issue that many indignant. It raised the inconsistency that the German Government was ready to give the Greeks billions or to rescue banks and financial institutions but not to help their students or their unemployed. And now it is argued that Germans would be indebted to pay for bad business and bad foreign governments. Coupled with the lack of strategy Greek crisis ahead of elections in NRW, the Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle put on the table and a couple of months, the issue of subsidies for the unemployed. Westerwelle raised the iniquity of the system that gives more money to an unemployed person can earn as an employee. So it appears again that many Germans perceived injustice around a single theme: work. Across the political spectrum raises the question whose answer is obviously the difference in the programs the 5 main political parties in Germany.
around 6pm last night showed the results, Hannelore Kraft SPD appeared to be the winner and according to recent data, would be able to form a government. The Government of Jürgen Rüttgers was clearly rejected, compared to 2005, the CDU lost 10 points, his partner, the liberal FDP did not change, remained with the 6% of the vote. The SPD can not claim victory, as compared to the last election, lost 4 points, while the Green party was the winner of the evening it was an increase of almost 6 points As compared to 2005 involves two seats. The current results give the two major parties a draw would have 67 seats each in the Landtag consists of 181 deputies. So far, the SPD fails to form a government with the Greens and their 23 deputies, because they fall short by one seat, which would imply that: form a grand coalition government, namely, SPD-CDU or seek options tripartite as the SPD-Green-Left or SPD-Green-Liberal, and have the option CDU-Green-Liberal Rüttgers which would keep the Government. The result puts the Green party in the center as the Königsmacher (who puts the crown to the king.) Both the Greens and the SPD have already stated their preferences, and it appears that the CDU and the Liberals probably will return to the opposition in the parliament of Düsseldorf. A relevant point is that The Left (Die Linke) not only enters for the first time Landtag NRW, but is it likely to form government. The election results confirm the trend already noticed in the last federal election, the decline of the two major parties, called parties Citizens for general and common interest group, compared to small parties with special themes, such as the Greens Liberals and the Left. Another interesting fact is the Pirate Party which received 2% of the votes and that if not passed the 5% barrier to enter parliament, won an important percentage of votes for his first election in NRW.
NRW With the results of the Federal Government loses its majority in the Bundesrat. The Senate consists of representatives from each local government. That is, senators are not elected but appointed by the presidents of each state ministers, so that these governments represent. The Bundesrat has 69 members elected from the number of inhabitants in each federal state, NRW, Baden Württemberg, Bayern and Niedersachsen brings 6 senators each to the Bundesrat. Other states have between 3 and 5 senators. Black-yellow coalition, known as the coalition government of Merkel, had until Saturday 37 senators. Losing NRW, stays with 31, ie would have no majority. This implies that with the results of last night, will complicate the adoption of the agenda of the newly elected federal government in September 2009. NRW results are interpreted in the sense of rejection of this agenda and the measures that the Government has taken on his first semester.
The reality is that Merkel's government reeling from last week as chancellor angered its partners in the FDP to enlist the help of the SPD in the Bundestag to approve aid Greece. On Friday night Westerwelle threatened to break the coalition if it was not complied with the agreement between both parties. After yesterday's results, are beginning to be brought to the perpetrators. The barons of the Union, known as the Minister President of the CDU, today demanded a change of course in Merkel, noting the liberal policy of the FDP as the culprit of discontent Voters in the democraciacristiana. And in the 2009 campaign, the FDP basic proposal presented as tax cuts, an issue opposed by many within the Union and see it as one of the reasons for its debacle in NRW. The reality is that for several months and Angela Merkel not very happy with their party colleagues, and this is a perfect opportunity to suppress. Angela Merkel last month celebrated its tenth anniversary as head of the CDU will have to see if after last night's defeat, the barons of the Union wish to leave it at that as a you years.
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