German Elections & Politics

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The people of Cologne have given a clear answer about their wishes. The German constitutional system gave them ample opportunity to do so.

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Full results,

Reker (Ind) 52.66%
Ott (SPD) 32.02%
Benecke (Die PARTEI) 7.22%
Rottmann (AfD) 4.01%
Hovelmann (Ind) 2.82%
Neumeyer (Ind) 0.78%
Krieger (REP) 0.49%

Invalid votes: 0.97%

 

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Lol at DIE PARTIE

At least in Cologne, die PARTEI is less of a joke than AfD, it seems

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German president Joachim Gauck has decided not to run for a second term.

http://www.politico.eu/article/joachim-gauck-wont-run-for-second-term-as-german-president/

Sad to hear that.

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i respect the hell out of schulz but i am not into believing someone who worked in brussels for such a long term can suddenly break away in his home country.

didn't work in countries like egypt, won't work in germany.

but if i would make an educated guess..... gabriel got burn-out, scholz knows he can't win with merkel still on top of the CDU and schulz seemingly wants his 15 minutes in the sunlight.

All true, but, still a good option for SPD. At least, is there alternative is both a solid liberal and somebody who has not been a part of the government they are trying to replace.

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i respect the hell out of schulz but i am not into believing someone who worked in brussels for such a long term can suddenly break away in his home country.

didn't work in countries like egypt, won't work in germany.

but if i would make an educated guess..... gabriel got burn-out, scholz knows he can't win with merkel still on top of the CDU and schulz seemingly wants his 15 minutes in the sunlight.

Schulz is to the right of Gabriel.

All true, but, still a good option for SPD. At least, is there alternative is both a solid liberal and somebody who has not been a part of the government they are trying to replace.

I never use the word "liberal" in its American sense Schulz is a solid liberal.

So, of course, is Merkel.

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If the three left wing parties reach 30/9/9 it would be enough to win the election and it can certainly work out

What makes you think that Schulz would want to even consider a coalition with the Linke instead of the one with CDU? Ideologically, the gap between Merkel and him is infinitely smaller.

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If the three left wing parties reach 30/9/9 it would be enough to win the election and it can certainly work out

What makes you think that Schulz would want to even consider a coalition with the Linke instead of the one with CDU? Ideologically, the gap between Merkel and him is infinitely smaller.

If the SPD ends up with fewer votes/seats than the CDU/CSU, but a coalition with Greens and Left becomes numerically possible, then such a coalition would be the only option for him to become Chancellor.

And do you think he would want to be a Chancellor in a coalition with the Linke?

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If the three left wing parties reach 30/9/9 it would be enough to win the election and it can certainly work out

What makes you think that Schulz would want to even consider a coalition with the Linke instead of the one with CDU? Ideologically, the gap between Merkel and him is infinitely smaller.

 
  
The fact that he visited some of the monthly so called "R2G-Trialogs" with politicians of all three parties to find a common ground for a coalition.

That, by itself, should be a reason to vote for CDU or FDP (in Bavaria).

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If CDU/CSU forms strong alliances, why can't SPD form such understanding with the Left & the Greens in a broad leftist coalition to take on a more centrist CDU/CSU & the far right!

Because ideologically most SPD people are much closer to the CDU leadership than to the Left. And, of course, do not forget, that for many people the Left are still untouchable because of their history.

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I find this polls hard to swallow, Schultz really had this effect that SPD is now polling 10% more than a month ago? I somehow doubt it

Gabriel was part of the Merkel administration.  Schulz isn't.  There's nothing strange about this.  It would be great to see a watermelon coalition under Schulz with SPC, the Greens and Die Linke (this couldn't possibly happen with Gabriel).

Why, or why would anybody want the Left in a coalition? What is such a coalition supposed to achieve? Joining Trump and Putin in partitioning Europe? But, then, why would somebody like Schulz and the Greens want it?

What is the objective of inviting one of the tow illiberal German parties into the government?

Note: none of Merkel supporters are suggesting it would be great to get AfD in. That, by itself, is a good reason to supprot Merkel.

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Die Linke isn't what it used to be.  Plus the 3 parties are already in a watermelon coalition in Thuringia and there have been a lot of discussions between the 3 parties.  I know you're a right winger so I probably can't convince you, but calling Die Linke illiberal in 2017 is false.

I do not that much care about your conventional right-left. I have no problem with the Greens in Germany whatsoever. But die Linke is a very unpleasant group, with very unpleasant ideas.

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I'd probably be a regular FDP voter in Germany, including for this election, and I wouldn't be at all disappointed to see SPD-Grune-FDP. Merkel's is certainly a good person who's had a good run, and I wouldn't even be opposed to her getting another term, but Schulz, while further from me ideologically, seems like a man more suited to the current moment. I'd probably still tilt towards Merkel in a Direktwahl, but I don't think I'd be very upset if Schulz carried the day.

Why, exactly, are you still a Republican in the US?

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Die Linke isn't what it used to be.  Plus the 3 parties are already in a watermelon coalition in Thuringia and there have been a lot of discussions between the 3 parties.  I know you're a right winger so I probably can't convince you, but calling Die Linke illiberal in 2017 is false.

I do not that much care about your conventional right-left. I have no problem with the Greens in Germany whatsoever. But die Linke is a very unpleasant group, with very unpleasant ideas.

The CDU is also a very unpleasant group, with very unpleasant ideas from a liberal perspective...

We have a different definition of "liberalism" I guess

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I'd probably be a regular FDP voter in Germany, including for this election, and I wouldn't be at all disappointed to see SPD-Grune-FDP. Merkel's is certainly a good person who's had a good run, and I wouldn't even be opposed to her getting another term, but Schulz, while further from me ideologically, seems like a man more suited to the current moment. I'd probably still tilt towards Merkel in a Direktwahl, but I don't think I'd be very upset if Schulz carried the day.

Why, exactly, are you still a Republican in the US?

Being a FDP/Democratic voter wouldn't make much sense...

Why not? Would seem very ideologically consistent to me.

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There is another obvious reason for Left being more common as a source for AfD votes in the East: there are not too many Left voters in the West to begin with. Except in the Saarland and the city-states they are nearly invisible in the West.

It is (the few Western exceptions notwithstanding) a socially conservative populist illiberal Eastern party.

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But wouldn't concentration camp inmates have found the slave plantations "positively quaint", too?

Reported for Nazi propaganda. I guess, I should also send a message to German police.