Berlin goes to the polls in a challenging vote for Merkel

[webfact]

Berlin goes to the polls in a challenging vote for Merkel

 

 

BERLIN: -- Berlin is at the polls in Germany’s second regional election in two weeks.

 

But will the vote result in another setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel? Voter opinion in the run-up to the election suggested it would.

 

The electorate will cast three ballots: two for the local parliament; and one for the mayor.

 

SPD politician and Mayor of Berlin Michael Mueller is expected to retain his position. Merkel’s CDU Party has historically had weak support in the capital. CDU candidate Frank Henkel, is considered equally shaky, polls suggest.

 

Mueller says if he wins he wants to ditch the existing SPD-CDU coalition for a more left-leaning one, which is likely to include the Greens and Die Linke (the Left).

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-09-19

[webfact]

Voters punish Angela Merkel’s open-door refugee policy in Berlin poll

 

 

BERLIN: -- Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party has suffered its second election blow in two weeks, slumping to its lowest level since 1990.

 

Voters appear to have punished the German leader’s open-door refugee policy in a Berlin state poll. With the count all but completed her Christian Democrats have come in second on just over 17 percent. down from 23.3 percent in 2011.

 

It is a severe blow for the CDU, coming two weeks after they suffered heavy losses in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

 

The setbacks have raised questions about whether Merkel will stand for a fourth term next year.

 

Meanwhile there were celebrations at the head quarters of the Alternative for Germany party (Afd) Although not the winners, voters backed their anti-immigration stance, propelling them into their 10th regional state legislature with over 14 percent.

 

Sunday night’s victors were the Social Democrats but even they suffered a fall in support notching up just over 21 percent – 7 percent down on the last poll-

 

The losses for both the biggest parties are being seen as a wake-up call with analysts pointing to a furtherfragmentation of Germany’s political landscape.

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-09-19

[HenryB]

The Germans shall not for get How to treat non Germans in their Country.

It looks like it is happening sooner than I expected

 

[SgtRock]

Quote

But the result will hurt Merkel’s CDU most. After defeats for the Christian Democrats in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rhineland-Westphalia and Baden–Württemberg, the Berlin result is the fourth blow in a row for the centre-right party, which came close to gaining an absolute majority at federal level only three years ago.

 

What could have happened over the past 3 years ?

 

Quote

For the party leadership, it has become hard to ignore a pattern behind the results. In all four elections, established parties shed votes while the upstart AfD, founded in 2013, managed to achieve double digits.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/18/angela-merkels-party-suffers-slump-in-berlin-election

 

At least the pattern has been identified and acknowledged.

 

The question is, will the leadership have the balls to act to save the CDU from certain Political suicide in 2017 ?

[mesterm]

Too bad for the Merkel/pro-Muslim immigration fans on the forum.

[williamgeorgeallen]

well it will be interesting to see what happens if she is voted out. how will the new government handle the situation? to me it does not really seem things change with the change of government. did things really change in america between the last two leaders? did they give all of those refugees citizenship? thailand has a good system of keeping foreigners living here ready to be expelled at any time. might back fire as the birth rate continues to fall however.

[Dagnabbit]

This woman simply does not know when to quit.

[SgtRock]

4 minutes ago, Dagnabbit said:

This woman simply does not know when to quit.

 

Which is why I posted this above

 

3 hours ago, SgtRock said:

At least the pattern has been identified and acknowledged.

 

The question is, will the leadership have the balls to act to save the CDU from certain Political suicide in 2017 ?

 

The CDU's only chance of any redemption whatsoever is ditching Merkel now.

[chilli42]

I don't know much (anything) regarding the policy and law making process of the German government. However, it would surprise me if one person had so much power that they could force an unwilling political party to do their bidding.  Seems to me she must be representing the dominant view of her own party leadership.  That said, voters don't care about the details.  Merkel s the face of a widely unpopular policy and will be burned at the stake n reprisal.

[JHolmesJr]

I can hear the fat lady singing already.

[elgordo38]

5 hours ago, HenryB said:

The Germans shall not for get How to treat non Germans in their Country.

It looks like it is happening sooner than I expected

 

I think opening the door to the multitude of the unwashed masses has finally sunk ye ole ship Merkel. She can now use this controversial maneuver and ditch the Chancellor gig and join her buddy Dodgy Dave who is setting up some high priced consulting service. Its the natural progression of things for politicians. Harper in Canada is another example. Screw the voters and use them for a stepping stone to your ladder of success. The sky is the limit for these vultures. We meanwhile get to scrounge through the ashes of despair they have left behind.   

[KBsinter]

I"m surprised, thought she would lose big time,the German folk 

find her, well I"m not sure what they see,perhaps because she 

is the boss of the E.U. "WHAT A TRAVESTY"she has been..............

[OttoPollmann]

7 hours ago, HenryB said:

The Germans shall not for get How to treat non Germans in their Country.

It looks like it is happening sooner than I expected

 

What a utter BS.

What is your right to make a statement like this?

You think these Germans have not learned anything of their history? The last 75 years everyone got indoctrinated that you are a Nazi if you have a lightest idea to be a nationalist. Even the German national soccer team didn’t show any color or emblem of Germany at the last EM to respect all foreigners in Germany. Which country would do this?

In the US of A even in the smallest event they are playing the national anthem and the stars spangled flag waves. Now imagine doing this in Germany. The hell breaks loose and in the world press the swastika flag would banner on the Reichstag.

And now tell me how these economic immigrants get treated in Germany.

They get a better support then most of these German people in need and these people have paid, some a life time in this aid fund to get a kick in the face from the government.

Congratulation to your stance.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.   Please stay on topic.  

[Chris Lawrence]

So what do the German brethren of TV think of her? Germany appeared to handle the economic crisis and she is still there directing traffic.