German state votes in test for Merkel
Print Edition
GERMAN voters went to the polls yesterday in tiny Saarland state, where a resurgent center-left hopes to strike a first blow in their battle to topple Chancellor Angela Merkel this year.
Although the state bordering France is home to just 1 million people, its vote half a year before national elections is seen as a test of the Social Democrats’ rising fortunes under new leader Martin Schulz.
The SPD, having long played second fiddle to Merkel in a national right-left grand coalition, has been re-energized since the folksy and plain-spoken Schulz became its chairman in January.
The former president of the European Parliament has lifted party support by 10 percent with promises to help the socially disadvantaged and end Merkel’s almost 12-year reign in September elections.
The “Schulz mania” has seen younger voters flock to the more than 150-year-old workers’ party, which is now polling neck-and-neck at the national level with Merkel’s conservative bloc.
The SPD is currently the CDU’s unhappy junior partner in Saarland and in the national government — and in both cases hopes to grab power by teaming up with other leftist parties.
Even if the CDU comes out ahead in Saarland, the SPD could potentially seek a coalition with the far-left Linke and possibly the ecologist Greens parties — a so-called “red-red-green” alliance.
The same trio is now running Berlin, although policy hurdles remain at the national level.
In Saarland, the latest poll for broadcaster ZDF gave the CDU a clear lead at 37 percent over the SPD’s 32 percent.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
