Residents of the German town of Monheim recently elected a 27-year-old PhD student as their next mayor. Daniel Zimmermann, a founder of the tiny Peto party, said he was as surprised as anyone by his win. There might not have been much media hype in the weeks leading up to Sunday's mayoral vote in Monheim, a city of 43,000 residents just north of Cologne. But the election results sent journalists from around Germany scrambling for exclusive interviews with Monheim's new mayor. It's not every day that a 27-year-old Cologne University student picks up a solid 30.4 percent of the vote. Even more remarkable is the fact that Zimmerman's political party, Peto, only has 250 members.
There might not have been much media hype in the weeks leading up to Sunday's mayoral vote in Monheim, a city of 43,000 residents just north of Cologne. But the election results sent journalists from around Germany scrambling for exclusive interviews with Monheim's new mayor.
It's not every day that a 27-year-old Cologne University student picks up a solid 30.4 percent of the vote. Even more remarkable is the fact that Zimmerman's political party, Peto, only has 250 members.
When it comes to their election campaigns, Angela Merkel and her challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier agree on one thing: It's the bankers who are the bad guys. Each of them claims to have the solution to the crisis. But their hubristic stump speeches reveal more about the candidates' over-inflated egos than concrete issues. The Hungarian border guard who famously opened the Iron Curtain in the summer of 1989 clearly also has the secret to fighting the current financial crisis. Why else should Angela Merkel speak in such great detail about him in her election campaign speeches, right at the start of each appearance? The German chancellor does a wonderful job of recounting this captivating tale. There the guard stands at the border between Hungary and Austria. Suddenly, a group of East Germans runs up to him. He phones his superior, but since he can't get him on the line, he decides right on the spot to open up the border.
When it comes to their election campaigns, Angela Merkel and her challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier agree on one thing: It's the bankers who are the bad guys. Each of them claims to have the solution to the crisis. But their hubristic stump speeches reveal more about the candidates' over-inflated egos than concrete issues.
The Hungarian border guard who famously opened the Iron Curtain in the summer of 1989 clearly also has the secret to fighting the current financial crisis. Why else should Angela Merkel speak in such great detail about him in her election campaign speeches, right at the start of each appearance?
The German chancellor does a wonderful job of recounting this captivating tale. There the guard stands at the border between Hungary and Austria. Suddenly, a group of East Germans runs up to him. He phones his superior, but since he can't get him on the line, he decides right on the spot to open up the border.
After four years of sharing power with the Social Democrats, Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear she'd like to rule without them. But a new poll suggests she might not get the votes she needs. Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) hope to combine forces with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) to form a ruling coalition after the Sept. 27 general election. Yet if the election was held today, Merkel wouldn't have enough votes, according to a new Emnid poll released on Thursday. Support for the CDU has dropped to a three-month low of 34 percent, according to the poll, which is the first to fully take into account the CDU's setbacks in Germany's recent state and municipal elections. The FDP held steady at 14 percent. Together, the two parties would pull in only 48 percent of the vote, just shy of a majority. "I am quite sure Merkel will be re-elected but I'm a lot more cautious about whether she'll be able to get her preferred coalition with the FDP," said Frank Decker, a political scientist at Bonn University, told the Reuters news agency.
Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) hope to combine forces with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) to form a ruling coalition after the Sept. 27 general election.
Yet if the election was held today, Merkel wouldn't have enough votes, according to a new Emnid poll released on Thursday. Support for the CDU has dropped to a three-month low of 34 percent, according to the poll, which is the first to fully take into account the CDU's setbacks in Germany's recent state and municipal elections. The FDP held steady at 14 percent. Together, the two parties would pull in only 48 percent of the vote, just shy of a majority.
"I am quite sure Merkel will be re-elected but I'm a lot more cautious about whether she'll be able to get her preferred coalition with the FDP," said Frank Decker, a political scientist at Bonn University, told the Reuters news agency.
The CDU's Dieter Althaus, who came under fire for causing the death of a woman during a ski accident earlier this year, has stepped down as governor of the eastern German state of Thuringia. His move came amidst mounting pressure from his own party and the opposition to resign following disappointing state election results. Thuringia Governor Dieter Althaus, who is a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel in the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stepped down on Thursday four days after the CDU suffered a disappointing result in key state elections. "I am stepping down as governor of Thuringia and chair of the Thuringia branch of the CDU with immediate effect," he announced at a press conference on Thursday. He did not give any further explanation of his decision. In deciding to step down, the 51-year-old politician is reacting to demands from his own party and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) not to stand in the way of a CDU-SPD coalition in Thuringia's state assembly. In Sunday's election in the eastern German state, the CDU's share of the vote slumped by 11.8 points to 31.2 percent. The party has lost its absolute majority in the state for the first time in 10 years and now requires a coalition partner if it is to stay in power. Its only realistic option is to join forces with the SPD.
The CDU's Dieter Althaus, who came under fire for causing the death of a woman during a ski accident earlier this year, has stepped down as governor of the eastern German state of Thuringia. His move came amidst mounting pressure from his own party and the opposition to resign following disappointing state election results.
Thuringia Governor Dieter Althaus, who is a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel in the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stepped down on Thursday four days after the CDU suffered a disappointing result in key state elections.
"I am stepping down as governor of Thuringia and chair of the Thuringia branch of the CDU with immediate effect," he announced at a press conference on Thursday. He did not give any further explanation of his decision.
In deciding to step down, the 51-year-old politician is reacting to demands from his own party and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) not to stand in the way of a CDU-SPD coalition in Thuringia's state assembly. In Sunday's election in the eastern German state, the CDU's share of the vote slumped by 11.8 points to 31.2 percent. The party has lost its absolute majority in the state for the first time in 10 years and now requires a coalition partner if it is to stay in power. Its only realistic option is to join forces with the SPD.
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has called for a national election ahead of schedule, as Greece struggles with the economic crisis. The move caught observers by surprise, as his scandal-plagued conservative New Democracy government clearly trails the main opposition socialist PASOK party in opinion polls. "I am seeking a fresh political mandate," Karamanlis said in a televised speech to the nation. "The consequences of the economic crisis are visible; we have two difficult, crucial years ahead of us," he added. Karamanlis gave no date but a senior government source said it would be held on October 4th.
The move caught observers by surprise, as his scandal-plagued conservative New Democracy government clearly trails the main opposition socialist PASOK party in opinion polls.
"I am seeking a fresh political mandate," Karamanlis said in a televised speech to the nation.
"The consequences of the economic crisis are visible; we have two difficult, crucial years ahead of us," he added.
Karamanlis gave no date but a senior government source said it would be held on October 4th.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has confirmed that a snap general election will be held on 4 October.He asked President Karolos Papoulias to dissolve parliament as of Monday, after announcing the election on Wednesday. Mr Karamanlis called for a new mandate to tackle the economy, but he has been hurt by financial scandals and the effects of recent wildfires. His conservative party has a majority of just one seat in parliament and has been trailing the opposition in polls. "I am seeking a fresh political mandate," Mr Karamanlis said on TV on Wednesday.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has confirmed that a snap general election will be held on 4 October.
He asked President Karolos Papoulias to dissolve parliament as of Monday, after announcing the election on Wednesday.
Mr Karamanlis called for a new mandate to tackle the economy, but he has been hurt by financial scandals and the effects of recent wildfires.
His conservative party has a majority of just one seat in parliament and has been trailing the opposition in polls.
"I am seeking a fresh political mandate," Mr Karamanlis said on TV on Wednesday.
