Angela Merkel of the Christian Democrats will be the next Chancellor of Germany. The Socialists and Christian Democrats have agreed to a power-sharing "grand coalition" and Schroder is stepping down. (In exchange, most of the Cabinet posts--including foreign affairs--will be occupied by the Socialists.) Quite a phenomenal rise to power for a private, shy woman who was a quantum physicist back in communist East Germany. It's hard to conceive of such a candidate triumphing in America. She has proven that she can persevere to win at the game of politics. Time will tell if she can lead a nation.
Monday, October 10, 2005
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Her party got 35% of the vote. But the exchange seems to be to cede real power to the SPD in exchange for her "victory." Plainly, nothing will get done, which is what the SPD wants.
// posted by LTG
Actually, from what I can gather, the SPD and CDU both want change in more or less the same direction. Both parties want to reform the labor markets (which are over regulated) and the welfare state (which is in a real balance of payments problem, not an illusionary one like ours). But they differ in degree and detail. Actually, I suspect that the SPD leadership will be better off from a policy perspective with a coalition with the CDU than they were with the Greens who opposed most reforms entirely.
This grand coalition MIGHT just work. Both parties will have to fight anti-reform factions internally. But since the majority is so huge, they can afford to have significant factional defections and still get bills passed.
Once the bills get passed, the CDU and SPD will need the additional help of the FDP in the Bundesrat (the upper house). The FDP wants even more reform than either the CDU and SPD. So again, this MIGHT just work.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
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