German SPD leader gives Merkel an ultimatum after state vote losses

By Paul Carrel and Joseph Nasr

 

German Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles reacts on first exit polls following the Hesse state election in Berlin, Germany, October 28, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's junior coalition partners gave her conservatives until next year to deliver more policy results, threatening to end their alliance if there is no improvement after both parties suffered in a regional election on Sunday.

 

Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) came home first in the election in the western state of Hesse, but polled just 27.2 percent of the vote, projections for broadcaster ZDF based on preliminary results showed.

 

That marked a huge drop from the 38.3 percent the CDU won at the last Hesse election, in 2013.

 

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) fared even worse, winning just 19.6 percent of the vote, down from 30.7 percent and its worst result in the western state since 1946. The party was on a par with the Greens, also on 19.6 percent.

 

SPD leader Andrea Nahles said she would use a roadmap with which to measure the progress of the ruling coalition, which has been plagued by infighting, at a mid-term review next year.

 

"We could then gauge the implementation of this roadmap at the agreed mid-term review, when we would be able to clearly see if this government is the right place for us," Nahles told reporters. "The state of the government is unacceptable."

 

Her message was clear: the SPD needs to be able to show tangible results to its supporters next year or else the party's leaders will pull out of the coalition with Merkel.

 

Volker Bouffier, the incumbent CDU state premier in Hesse and a Merkel ally, said his party had achieved its goal of being able to lead the next government in Hesse, but added: "We are in pain because of the losses".

 

"The message to the parties ruling in Berlin is: People want fewer disputes and more focus on the important issues," he said.

 

The CDU's poor result in Hesse, after its sister party in the state of Bavaria, the CSU, suffered its worst result there since 1950 two weeks ago, may turbo-charge a debate about who succeeds Merkel and when. She has been chancellor for 13 years.

 

Merkel's weakness at home may limit her capacity to lead in the European Union at a time when the bloc is dealing with Brexit, a budget crisis in Italy and the prospect of populist parties making gains at European parliament elections next May.

 

"LOST CONFIDENCE"

The Greens' strong performance in Hesse means Bouffier will likely be able to remain state premier at the helm of a CDU/Greens government.

 

The other big winner was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which entered the Hesse regional assembly for the first time with 12.8 percent of the vote, the ZDF projection showed.

 

The result means the anti-immigration party, which entered the federal parliament for the first time last year, is now also represented in all 16 German regional assemblies.

 

Merkel's ruling coalition "has lost the confidence of the electorate", said Josef Joffe, publisher-editor of weekly Die Zeit.

 

Of the SPD, he added: "A party on the way down cannot suddenly rise from the ashes by going into the opposition. So the party grandees will clench their teeth, stay in the coalition and wait for a better day."

 

Merkel's fourth and probably final government has already come close to collapsing twice. Nahles' comments show the SPD will put more pressure on the conservatives to deliver policy results for the centre-left party.

 

Merkel's conservatives only formed their loveless national partnership with the SPD in March after the collapse of talks on a three-way coalition of the conservatives, Greens and pro-business FDP.

 

The exit poll for broadcaster ARD showed only 13 percent of CDU voters believed Merkel had helped the party in Hesse, down from 70 percent at the last state election, reflecting voter anger at her decision in 2015 to welcome almost one million, mainly Muslim asylum seekers.

 

The CDU holds its annual congress in December, when Merkel will seek re-election as party chairwoman. She is likely to be reappointed but a weak show of support for her would undermine her authority and accelerate the succession debate.

 

(Reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-29

The tail wagging the dog?

maybe even the European countries are beginning to wake up to the rank incompetence and futility of progressive left wing policies

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"The message to the parties ruling in Berlin is: People want  ... more focus on the important issues,"

the important issues: 

That is solving the "so called refugee"  issue - undoing merkel's mistake

 

I wonder why the green party scored - they applauded to merkel's disaster decision

1 hour ago, sweatalot said:

the important issues: 

That is solving the "so called refugee"  issue - undoing merkel's mistake

That’s not what is important for people. There’s isnt even an issue. That’s just noise created by the far-right. Unfortunately, incumbent parties failed to ignore that noise. Instead of working on people’s real issues and ignoring the neo-nazi parties, they waste time dealing with them and their accusations, fear-mongering and lies. 

 

Quote

 

I wonder why the green party scored - they applauded to merkel's disaster decision

Because they did exactly that: ignoring the far-right’s noise and make people’s issues their party programme. 

7 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

That’s not what is important for people. There’s isnt even an issue. 

Great!

Then why wouldn't the Germans welcome the immigrants that the Southern countries, like Italy, don't want, and why are they instead trying to force other EU countries who don't want immigrants to accept them anyway?

 

Having said that, being opposed to (uncontrolled) immigration and being on the far right are two different things.

 

Are the Japanese on the far right? the Chinese?

 

Some people are attached to their centuries old culture and want to preserve it, and some people, like the Germans apparently, do not care much about their culture.

 

This has nothing to do with politics, it's a cultural issue...

 

55 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Great!

Then why wouldn't the Germans welcome the immigrants that the Southern countries, like Italy, don't want, and why are they instead trying to force other EU countries who don't want immigrants to accept them anyway?

Germany isn’t forcing anyone and isn’t even able to do. Not sure if you noticed, but all EU countries are sovereign states. 

 

Quote

 

Having said that, being opposed to (uncontrolled) immigration and being on the far right are two different things.

“being opposed to (uncontrolled) immigration” is just the euphemism of the far-right to make their xenophobia sound less radical.  

 

 

 

Quote

Some people are attached to their centuries old culture and want to preserve it, and some people, like the Germans apparently, do not care much about their culture.

 

This has nothing to do with politics, it's a cultural issue...

Nonsense, no one is taking away your Weißwurst or beer. Or what “centuries old culture” are you actually afraid to lose? Again, this is just nonsense used by the far-right to make a case for their xenophobia. 

 

If there is anything to be afraid then it’s the hatred and terrorism the far-right is spreading. 

38 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Germany isn’t forcing anyone and isn’t even able to do. Not sure if you noticed, but all EU countries are sovereign states. 

 

“being opposed to (uncontrolled) immigration” is just the euphemism of the far-right to make their xenophobia sound less radical.  

 

 

 

Nonsense, no one is taking away your Weißwurst or beer. Or what “centuries old culture” are you actually afraid to lose? Again, this is just nonsense used by the far-right to make a case for their xenophobia. 

 

If there is anything to be afraid then it’s the hatred and terrorism the far-right is spreading. 

I think this picture, posted in another thread, perfectly fit with your text...

Guilt about the Holocaust and other Nazi atrocities has, until recently, prevented many Germans from speaking out against the downsides throwing the welcome mat down to all and sundry.

 

It is heartening to see them now joining the millions of fellow Europeans concerned about the systematic replacement of shrinking indigenous populations with waves of migrants, many from arguably incompatible cultures and religious ideologies.

 

This does not make them racist, neo-Nazis or even right wing, as they are routinely painted by the Establishment and their mass media minions. The majority are ordinary decent citizens rightly fearful of where the demographics of the EU's open door immigration policy are leading.

 

Instead of mouthing platitudes about multiculturalism and diversity, political leaders like Angela Merkel need to practice what they preach about inclusivity and listen more to the opinions of their electorates and less to the activists for "oppressed" minorities supported by taxpayer funding.

 

The alternative, a few decades down the line, will be greater social division and political polarisation, increasing civil strife - and, ultimately, possibly the horrendous outcome author Douglas Murray chillingly forecasts in The Strange Death of Europe.

10 hours ago, sweatalot said:

the important issues: 

That is solving the "so called refugee"  issue - undoing merkel's mistake

 

I wonder why the green party scored - they applauded to merkel's disaster decision

 

I wonder if it may not be obvious that "some" Germans, more like the majority (regardless of which party other than AfD they vote for) don't actually see things your way.

On 10/29/2018 at 10:31 AM, Ralf61 said:

The tail wagging the dog?

Yes, a bit like the UK which has an even smaller tail wagging the dog, proving that blackmail can, in certain circumstances, be legal.

On 10/29/2018 at 11:40 AM, mcambl61 said:

maybe even the European countries are beginning to wake up to the rank incompetence and futility of progressive left wing policies

Aaaah Merkel, the most dangerous left-winger! ????