german alliance likely to oust merkel’s conservatives in saarland state
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

German alliance likely to oust Merkel’s conservatives in Saarland state

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice German alliance likely to oust Merkel’s conservatives in Saarland state

An election placard showing Annegret Kramp
Saarbruecken, Germany - Arab Today

When voters head to the polls in the German state of Saarland later this month, they are likely to deliver an upset to Chancellor Angela Merkel that could be a foretaste of September’s national election.
One of Germany’s smallest states, Saarland is — like federal Germany — currently governed by a “grand coalition” of Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD).
But polls suggest a left-leaning “red-red-green” alliance of the SPD, the far-left Linke party and the Greens — or even a “red-red” coalition if the Greens fail to win enough votes — could emerge after the state votes on March 26. And while obstacles remain, the parties seem to be warming to the idea of cooperating.
The vote in Saarland, the first of three regional elections this year, is seen as a test for the federal election on Sept. 24 in which Merkel is standing for a fourth term.
National polls suggest “red-red-green” could just about get a majority in the Bundestag, the lower house of Parliament.
Above all, Saarland is the first electoral test of the SPD under its new leader, former European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who has helped the party climb 10 points in opinion polls in the last eight weeks and hopes to oust Merkel.
“This is the first election since the so-called Schulz effect so it will show us whether that really translates into votes for the Social Democrats, and it’s an election in which one of Mrs. Merkel’s close confidants is running,” said Thomas Jaeger, politics professor at Cologne University.
A three-way leftist alliance in Saarland would be the third at state level after Berlin and the eastern region of Thuringia.
Relations between the SPD and Linke have been bad for years, with many in the SPD still angry that their former party chairman Oskar Lafontaine deserted them for the Linke.
Now the Linke’s candidate in Saarland, Lafontaine told Reuters the atmosphere between him and the SPD candidate was “pleasant” and his party had “no problems” working with the SPD at state and municipal level.
“It’s different at the federal level. The SPD is sticking to policies that resulted in losses of income and pension cuts and we can’t accept that,” the 73-year-old said.
Schulz has said he wants to revise labor reforms introduced by the last SPD-led government and detested by the Linke but Lafontaine said Schulz had not given the impression that he would be correcting key parts of those reforms.
Lafontaine said cooperation in Saarland would improve the atmosphere. But he stressed there were big sticking points at national level over the welfare state, tax, the military and Europe — and Schulz did not seem ready to make big changes there.
The Linke rejects NATO and wants to raise the top income tax rate to 75 percent — ideas at odds with the SPD. But issues that once looked like dealbreakers for the Linke no longer seem certain to prevent a red-red-green alliance from forming.
His SPD counterpart, Anke Rehlinger, told Reuters that if the two parties found common ground and if the Linke wanted to push ahead with social justice — which Schulz has made a major campaign issue — then “we won’t rule it out, just as we won’t rule out continuing the grand coalition.”
Some voters, like pensioner Susanne Schumacher, 81, struggle to accept the Linke as many of its members came from the successor party to the Communists in East Germany.
But Fred Weber, a 62-year-old teacher, said he would be happy to see a switch to red-red-green: “It’s time Merkel goes ... she’s been in power since 2005 and that’s quite enough.”

Source: Arab News

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

german alliance likely to oust merkel’s conservatives in saarland state german alliance likely to oust merkel’s conservatives in saarland state

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

german alliance likely to oust merkel’s conservatives in saarland state german alliance likely to oust merkel’s conservatives in saarland state

 



GMT 05:14 2024 Wednesday ,07 February

Sophisticated Classic Dining Room Design Ideas

GMT 16:17 2018 Thursday ,30 August

Five Saudi women pilots granted GACA licences

GMT 05:06 2024 Tuesday ,06 February

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 07:37 2018 Sunday ,14 January

Spanish tax authorities scrutinise Messi foundation

GMT 02:17 2017 Thursday ,29 June

Abu Dhabi tenants may continue

GMT 12:29 2012 Monday ,27 February

Melting glaciers cause trouble for water suppliers

GMT 11:16 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Oil slick off China coast trebles in size

GMT 21:46 2018 Monday ,08 January

Bahrain, Tunisia discuss youth, sport cooperation

GMT 19:39 2017 Friday ,12 May

Algerian member of Change

GMT 10:08 2017 Monday ,16 October

Smashbox launches Holiday 2017 Collection

GMT 05:44 2016 Monday ,04 July

Libya's oil authorities agree to unify ranks

GMT 14:33 2017 Saturday ,02 September

Eid Al Adha: A day of blessing and togetherness

GMT 15:39 2016 Tuesday ,27 September

Cambodia's garment, shoe export up 8.3% in 7 months

GMT 12:48 2016 Sunday ,21 August

Qatar Stock Index Drops 22.89 Points

GMT 16:10 2017 Sunday ,26 February

British FM Johnson talks trade with Egypt’s Sissi

GMT 11:06 2016 Saturday ,03 September

Hamilton maintains Monza momentum over Rosberg

GMT 22:35 2017 Thursday ,15 June

Bahrain condemns attack on UAE ship

GMT 18:41 2017 Wednesday ,12 July

1,600 traffic fines issued in RAK within one week

GMT 13:05 2011 Monday ,05 December

Astronomy\'s most popular mystery

GMT 22:43 2014 Tuesday ,24 June

How brains store recent memories, cell by cell?

GMT 08:40 2012 Monday ,09 January

Discrepancy in reported Arab ad spend for 2011
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice