2011-09-04

"Extreme" parties pick up seats in Germany

Much of Europe is turning to the right, but mainly because the left is in power. In Germany, the center-right government will fall soon and the farther left- and right-wing parties continue to see increased support. Merkel's Party Loses Home-State Election, TV Projections Show
The anti-capitalist Left Party took 18 percent in the state, the projections showed, making it a potential candidate to enter government as junior partner to the SPD. The Social Democrats have ruled Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in coalition with Merkel's CDU since 2006. The Greens took 8.5 percent to enter the state parliament for the first time, while the Free Democratic Party, Merkel's coalition partner in the national government in Berlin, had 3 percent, below the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in the state parliament in Schwerin. The anti-foreigner NPD took 5.2 percent, the projections showed.
In Merkel's home state, the communists won 18% of the vote and her own party had its worst showing ever. This is important because a vote on the latest Greek bailout is coming up this month and it will almost assuredly seal not only her defeat, which seems inevitable now, but a massive landslide against her own party. Will her coalition partners join her in defeat or try to save their political career by voting against the unpopular bailout?

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