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Help. I am so far away from being really interested in German elections, so my stupid question now:

Has there been already made a committment made by the FDP to go into a coalition with the CDU?

Or could the SPD, the FDP and the Green Party go altogether into a Coalition?

Geesh, strange result. Certainly not a good result for the CDU.

How do you interpret that the FDP had such an increase in votes? Isn't that just to show that there are a lot of people, who are unsatisfied with either SPD or CDU and for lack of an alternative they voted FDP, because there wasn't anything else for them to show their discontent?

Unfortunately I can't view or hear video or audio clips right now.

by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 12:35:18 PM EST
But then, all sorts of folks have made commitments that mean jackshit in the face of these results...

If you can't convince them, confuse them. (Harry S. Truman)
by brainwave on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 12:43:26 PM EST
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Possible effects:

A) Germany has a (predominantly) proportional system, but parties get in on list votes only if they pass 5%. Seing its poll numbers sink, FDP campaigned for CDU voters to give their list vote to the FDP - maybe with overwhelming success.

B) Last night, popular German talk-show host Stefan Raab did his own election show. I don't have a very high opinion of him, yet he is very popuzlar among a certain section of the youth. Meanwhile, in recent years, the FDP has tried to attract just this clientele. Yesterday, in the show, they held a mock telephone voting of viewers, and the FDP of course did rather well. Maybe this had a lasting effect on some young people who would have voted for CDU.

C) IMO most likely: on the TV channel ARD, polls showed a dramatic swing in preferred coalitions: the popularity of a CDU/SPD Grand Coalition slumped, that of a CDU/FDP one rose. Maybe a lot of CDU voters wanted to prevent a Grand Coalition.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 12:43:37 PM EST
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I can't imagine that Schroeder would have ever accepted a CDU/SPD coalition. Had he given any such indications that he would? That would be really strange.
by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:00:26 PM EST
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But this is not about what Schröder likes. If a Grand Coalition is the only possibility, the SPD (led by its ministers) will dump Schröder and join a Merkel-led government.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:11:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
oh ... SPD/CDU coalition under Merkel's leadership?
hmm ... why is it that I don't think that's too bad?
For some reason I don't believe Merkel to be a conservative by ideology, so it may actually work, because the extreme conservative opportunists at the CDU might be "controlled and checked" efficiently enough then by the SPD, or not?
by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 02:19:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Has there been already made a commitment made by the FDP to go into a coalition with the CDU?

Nothing written of course. :)
But there was always the public assumption that this would be the "natural" coalition.

Or could the SPD, the FDP and the Green Party go altogether into a Coalition?

In principle yes. It happened in states already.
But on the federal level there are "tensions" - to say it politely - between the Greens and the FDP.

How do you interpret that the FDP had such an increase in votes? Isn't that just to show that there are a lot of people, who are unsatisfied with either SPD or CDU and for lack of an alternative they voted FDP, because there wasn't anything else for them to show their discontent?

I think nobody right now can really interpret the results. Certainly not the pollsters. :)
But personally I don´t think it were dissatisfied voters. Looks more like people were assuming that the CDU was safely above 40% and giving their "second vote" to the FDP to bolster them. Kind of tactical voting.

I really, really don´t like this result!
It´s either a big coalition or some sort of three party coalition.

by Detlef (Detlef1961_at_yahoo_dot_de) on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 12:54:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If the FDP thinks their "natural" coalition partner is the CDU and their "natural" unacceptable coalition partner are the greens then the FDP has no idea what the meaning of a liberal (=free) democratic party means.

Arggh such pinshitters.

by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:03:32 PM EST
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by PeWi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:07:19 PM EST
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also, they have been known to be too friendly with Haider's FPO in Austria and with Anti-Semites in Germany.
by PeWi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:09:09 PM EST
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Omigosh. Then forget it.
by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:17:01 PM EST
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Are you talking about Moellemann?

I have no great love for the FDP but to put them into the anti-semitic corner is IMHO unfair.

by Detlef (Detlef1961_at_yahoo_dot_de) on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:32:58 PM EST
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I am getting scared. This is a somewhat dangerous result so far. Too many votes to too many third parties, or not? Reminds me of the 1920ies.

Has Schroeder or the SPD in general ever given a hint that they would agree to go into a SPD/CDU coalition?

by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:41:39 PM EST
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It´s an awful result!

It´s either a "grand coalition" or some three party coalition. And both options probably won´t produce a government able to really govern.
Not to mention the possibility of another federal election not that far away...

Thank you, Schroeder, for insisting on early elections!!!

by Detlef (Detlef1961_at_yahoo_dot_de) on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 02:15:58 PM EST
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Yes, I was referering to the (now dead) Moelleman, and o.k maybe it is a little bit unfair, but they do have had unpleasant involvments (including attempts to overtake and vote out of the current leadership) with right wingish characters.
by PeWi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 01:48:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I agree with your comment.

Although "attempts to overtake and vote out of the current leadership" seems to indicate that the current leadership doesn´t support such "involvements".
(By the way media articles before the election reported that neo-nazis were trying to infiltrate the "Linkspartei" too.)

But you should realize that people could make equally unfair comparisons about Schroeder.
Like his "friendship" with Putin. Democracy in Russia anyone? Weapons sales to China?
Are these pleasant involvements?

by Detlef (Detlef1961_at_yahoo_dot_de) on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 02:07:20 PM EST
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My hunch is that many "naive" youngsters of the "Linkspartei" don't realize that they come easily close to neo-nazi-like argumentations. I was pretty stunned about that.
by mimi on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 02:23:43 PM EST
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Not to mention the fact that IIRC the "Linkspartei" already declared before the election that they would be an opposition party regardless of the outcome of the election.

Why vote for a party that simply says that they´re opposed to something and wouldn´t try to fix it?

It´s an awful result!
To repeat myself. :)

by Detlef (Detlef1961_at_yahoo_dot_de) on Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 03:22:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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