I spent Monday in Brussels, talking to different people directly involved in the budget review process. Won't name names, so I can say more.

1. HAMBURG

Population: 1.8 million
Votes in the Bundesrat: 3 (of 69)
Seats in the Bürgerschaft (state parliament): CDU 63, SPD 41, Greens 17 (majority: 61, CDU government)
Erster Bürgermeister (mayor/ prime minister): Ole von Beust
SPD candidate: Michael Naumann (former federal minister of culture)

Check live-blogging in the comments. Promoted by DoDo

Can the SPD (Social Democrats) overcome its crisis and take over in Hesse? Can the Left Party establish itself as the fifth main party in Germany?

"Schau 'mer mal", as the Kaiser (Beckenbauer) always said. Polls close 18h CET. Update [2008-1-27 12:3:39 by DoDo]: See exit polls, results in the comments! Update [2008-1-27 17:41:56 by DoDo]: Final Hesse result now in: building a government will be extremely difficult...

If we were to elect an EU president (with similar powers) using the US voting system and campaign regulations, only being able to choose between the current candidates running for POTUS (with exactly the same positions they are now holding), who do you think would be elected?

Light political entertainment for a lazy Sunday afternoon — promoted by Migeru

The next Bundestag election will be in September or October of 2009 and the front lines are now being drawn inside the SPD. I will only focus on the perceived personal qualities of the candidates and the coalitions they might pull off, not on differences in policies (which are hard to identify). The Chancellor is, of course, elected by the Bundestag and theoretically, every member could be elected - but only the "official" candidate of the winning party will be. A complete list of possible candidates for the SPD:

• ministers in the "Grand Coalition": Sigmar Gabriel (Environment), Franz Müntefering (Labour and social affairs, Vice- Chancellor), Ulla Schmidt (Health), Peer Steinbrück (Finance), Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Foreign relations), Wolfgang Tiefensee (Transport), Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (Development aid), Brigitte Zypries (Justice)
  
• minister- presidents of states: Kurt Beck (Rheinland-Pfalz, also the party leader), Jens Böhrnsen (Bremen), Matthias Platzeck (Brandenburg), Harald Ringstorff (Mecklenburg- Vorpommern), Klaus Wowereit (Berlin)
  
• leader of the SPD group in the Bundestag: Peter Struck

  (More below)

  From the diaries (with format edit) ~ whataboutbob