German Election Results In Uncertainty

[visionary]

Schroeder rejects Merkel mandate

Chancellor says he will remain in power another four years

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Gerhard Schroeder rejected challenger Angela Merkel's claim of a mandate to form a new government after Sunday's elections and said he intends to remain Germany's chancellor.

Partial results showed Merkel's conservatives with a slim lead over Schroeder's Social Democrats, 36.5 to 34 percent.

But Merkel apparently failed to gain the parliamentary majority she needed to govern with her preferred coalition partners, the pro-business Free Democrats, the results and exit poll projections showed.

Schroeder's ruling coalition with the Greens also fell short of a majority, creating an apparent period of political uncertainty in Germany.

Both Schroeder and Merkel said they would open negotiations with all parties except the new Left Party, which consists of ex-communists and renegade Social Democrats.

"Of course we had hoped for a better result. ... We haven't achieved our goal of a conservative-liberal government," Merkel said. "But we can hold our heads up high.

"Now it's about creating a stable government in Germany. This is our job, our mandate," she told supporters at Christian Democratic Union (CDU) headquarters in Berlin.

But Schroeder, speaking later at Social Democratic Party (SPD) headquarters in the capital, told supporters: "They claim a political mandate but this is something I cannot understand.

"Those who wanted change in the office of chancellor have failed grandly. I do not understand how the (conservatives) could be so arrogant and self-assured now they are facing a disastrous election result," Schroeder said.

"Over the next four years there will be a stable government under my leadership," he said.

With votes counted from 80 percent of districts late Sunday, Merkel's party held a narrow lead over Schroeder's SPD, the national election authority said, according to The Associated Press.

Merkel's Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), had 36.5 percent of the vote after 241 of 299 districts declared.

The SPD had 34 percent and their junior coalition partner, the Greens, 7.9 percent. The Free Democrats had 9.8 percent and the Left Party 7.9 percent, AP reported.

An exit poll by Forsa released after voting stations closed at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) put Merkel's CDU/CSU at 35 percent and Schroeder's SPD at 34.

The Free Democrats had 10.0, the Greens 8.1 and the Left Party 8.5, the exit poll showed.

The Forsa poll projected that Merkel and Schroeder's parties would each have 222 seats in the Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which selects the chancellor.

A party can win a slightly greater representation in parliament than its share of the vote because of slight distortions in Germany's election system, Reuters said.

Merkel's showing was considerably worse than expected. The CDU/CSU had consistently polled more than 40 percent during the campaign.

If she were to replace Schroeder as chancellor, she could be forced to share power with his SPD in a "grand coalition."

But Schroeder told Germany's ARD television that his Social Democrats would not enter into a right-left government with Merkel as chancellor.

"There will be no coalition under her leadership with my Social Democrats," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Schroeder said he could envisage a grand coalition under him as chancellor. "Yes -- how else could it work?" he told ARD after being asked about the possibility.

Markets fear that a grand coalition would doom Merkel's plans to push through aggressive labor market and tax system reforms.

Some analysts suggested Schroeder could remain in power by forming a coalition with the Greens and FDP.

But FDP leader Guido Westerwelle ruled out such an alliance on Sunday, as have the Greens, Reuters reported.

Left Party leader Oskar Lafontaine ruled out forming an alliance with Schroeder's party Sunday night, The Associated Press reported.

"It's a totally open question what happens next," said CNN's Charles Hodson in Berlin.

"It is a situation of total uncertainty," added CNN's Robin Oakley.

If the new parliament cannot elect a chancellor in three attempts, President Horst Koehler could appoint a minority government led by the candidate with a simple majority, AP said.

Defying tradition

Early figures showed turnout at 41.9 percent, slightly lower than the 42.8 percent in parliamentary elections three years ago, officials said.

Schroeder and his wife, Doris, cast their votes at a polling station near their home in Hannover. The chancellor did not make any statement to reporters, but his wife said the good weather was a omen of victory for Schroeder's Social Democratic Party (SPD).

"My husband always says if the sun is happy, then the SPD has it made," AP quoted her as saying.

Merkel and her husband, chemist Joachim Sauer, voted in Berlin. Neither spoke to reporters.

With as many as 25 percent of voters still undecided on the eve of the election, both candidates defied tradition and campaigned down to the wire, speaking at rallies on Saturday -- usually a campaign-free day before the election.

Schroeder and Merkel stumped for support in Germany's most populous state before heading to the financial capital, Frankfurt, for more last-minute rallies.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, Schroeder spoke in the city of Recklinghausen, while Merkel concentrated on the former capital Bonn.

"Vote for change because Germany needs a future," Merkel told a cheering crowd of some 7,000, AP reported.

Schroeder, in a 20-minute speech to 10,000 people, touched on his major campaign themes, including opposition to the Iraq war, labor and welfare reforms at home, and criticism of Merkel's plans for tax changes and further labor reforms, AP said.

Schroeder's supporters knew that with 5 million unemployed in the country, the Comeback Kid of German politics was fighting for survival.

He has insisted that if Merkel were to win, German society would be split into haves and have-nots.

"We will never tolerate any splits or divisions in society," Schroeder told a crowd Friday night. "What is being said on the right will destroy solidarity. That is our task. ... We have to prevent this."

Most of Merkel's Christian Democrats believed that Schroeder was on the way out. But campaign gaffes, uncertain support from leading figures on her own side and a lack of personal pizzazz saw Merkel's lead in opinion polls whittled from 20 points to only 6.

She insisted that with the number of unemployed still so high, Schroeder had forfeited the right to continue in office.

"Germany does not have to put up with the fact that we have 5 million people out of work and that thousands of firms are bankrupt," Merkel told supporters Friday.

"Germany can do more than that. We have to make a contribution to victims so that Germany becomes better, and so that each person will do better."

CNN European Political Editor Robin Oakley and CNN Berlin Correspondent Chris Burns contributed to this report.

Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Find this article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/09/18/germany.election/index.html

[visionary]

Challenger narrowly wins election in Germany

Conservative Merkel gains thin majority over Schroeder, but no mandate

MSNBC News Services

Updated: 7:20 p.m. ET Sept. 18, 2005

BERLIN - Conservative challenger Angela Merkel narrowly won German elections Sunday but fell short of a clear mandate to govern, as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder staged a dramatic comeback and proclaimed that he should head the next government.

The close outcome made it appear likely that Germany’s next government would be weak as a result of the margin and facing difficulties in forming a coalition.

“Germany faces difficult times because the formation of a new government will be tough,” said Thomas Straubhaar, head of the Hamburg-based HWWA economic research institute. “Whatever emerges will be comparatively unstable.”

Schroeder, written off as a lame duck a few weeks ago, refused to concede defeat, saying he could still theoretically remain in power if talks with other parties were successful.

“I feel myself confirmed in ensuring on behalf of our country that there is in the next four years a stable government under my leadership,” he said to cheering supporters at his Social Democrat party headquarters while flashing the thumbs-up signal and holding his arms aloft in a gesture of triumph.

‘We ... have the mandate’

But Merkel claimed her party received a mandate from voters to form a new coalition government to carry out her plan to mend frayed ties with the United States.

“What is important now is to form a stable government for the people in Germany, and we ... quite clearly have the mandate to do that,” she said.

Both Schroeder and Merkel said they would talk to all parties except the new Left Party, a combination of ex-communists and renegade Social Democrats.

The national election authority said Merkel’s party and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, had 36.5 percent of the vote from 241 of 299 districts counted. Schroeder’s Social Democrats had 34 percent and their coalition partner, the Greens, 7.9 percent.

The pro-business Free Democrats had 9.8 percent and the Left Party 7.9 percent.

At issue: A role in the world

Sunday’s vote centered on different visions of Germany’s role in the world and how to fix its sputtering economy. Schroeder touted the country’s role as a European leader and counterbalance to America, while Merkel pledged to reform the moribund economy and repair ties with Washington.

Without a majority, Merkel may be forced as chancellor into a coalition with the Social Democrats, probably without Schroeder.

Perhaps sensing the thinness of Merkel's advantage, Schroeder said after the election that he should remain Germany’s leader and form the next government. “I feel I have a mandate to ensure that in the next four years there will be a stable government in our country under my leadership,” he told ARD television.

‘Grand coalition’ possible

If Merkel’s preferred combination does not reach a majority, it would likely open the way to negotiations over alternative coalitions, including a “grand coalition” between Merkel’s party and Schroeder’s party.

People at the Christian Democrat headquarters seemed shocked, their faces long when they saw the figures.

“We are significantly short of what we hoped for,” a leading Christian Democrat, Hesse governor Roland Koch, told ZDF. But, he added, voters decided that “Angela Merkel should lead the country.”

Social Democrat supporters cheered when the preliminary figures for their party were flashed on television screens, then cheered even louder when they saw that Merkel’s party fell short of expectations.

Opposition to Turkey joining EU

Merkel’s plan to patch relations with Washington, which frayed after Schroeder’s refusal to back the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, resonated with some voters, as did her position that Turkey should not be allowed full membership in the 25-nation European Union.

“A country like Turkey just doesn’t belong in the European community,” said voter Torsten Quade, 41. “We’re already going to let in countries like Romania and Bulgaria, and this is already too much because of how far behind they are.”

But other voters said they supported Schroeder and his Social Democrats because he has kept Germany out of the Iraq war and pushes for diplomacy to resolve concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. Germany is one of three nations representing the EU in talks with Tehran.

“When you have a son coming of military age, this makes it even more important to vote for a government that isn’t eager to go to war,” said Stefan Deutscher, a 38-year-old business consultant voting in Berlin.

He said he blamed Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) for the high unemployment in Germany — currently at 11.4 percent. “I dislike the CDU because they passed on a messed-up country to the current government and are now blaming them for it.”

The CDU, with Helmut Kohl as its chancellor, led Germany in 1982-1998, during which the country was reunited and unemployment rose.

Voters were choosing lawmakers for the 598-seat lower house of parliament, which elects the chancellor to head the government. If no party wins a majority, as is expected, party leaders negotiate trying to form a coalition representing more than 50 percent of the seats.

Vote is a year early

Schroeder called for the election a year ahead of time in frustration at resistance to his attempts to fix the economy, as unemployment in Europe’s biggest economy hit record highs in his seven years in power and growth was sluggish.

His limited measures cutting taxes and long-term jobless benefits have been slow to show convincing results.

It also would mean a significant change to Germany’s stance on Turkish membership in the European Union — a cause that Schroeder has championed. Merkel opposes Turkey’s bid, instead advocating a “privileged partnership” with the predominantly Muslim country.

An estimated 500,000 of the 2.6 million people of Turkish origin in Germany are German citizens with the right to vote. Turks have traditionally supported the Social Democrats, though recently they have been angered by his social welfare and unemployment reforms, which have cut benefits.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

© 2005 MSNBC.com

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9380999/

[Sarge]

Well, they certainly can't get any more wu$$yfied than they've been in recent years. Of cousrse I don't know that I'd want them on the march again either

[BlueTalon]

I find it interesting that the 2nd place Schroeder is saying of the 1st place opposition: "I do not understand how the (conservatives) could be so arrogant and self-assured now they are facing a disastrous election result." Disasterous result? They're leading. I wish all my disasters were like that.

[Ignatius J.]

Parlimentary systems are tough to follow sometimes Blue Talon. This was a good move forward for germany, but it may not have been enough. We'll have to see how it shakes out. At this point it's going to come down to who can build a better coalition. Until a coalition is formed to defeat schroeder it's a defeat for the opposition.