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Elections in Germany: New Swing with Schröder© Peter Weber
Oct 6, 1998
With German chancellor Helmut Kohl the last of the great protagonists of European politics in the 80s and early 90s (Thatcher, Mitterand, Gonzalez) has left the scene. Deprived of this 16 year old reference point, the European neighbors are asking themselves about the orientations of the Federal Republic under the new chancellor Gerhard Schröder, while German voters are already looking forward with renewed courage to a new season of reform and change.
The end of an era
Helmut Kohl had seen it coming. "In 1998 we'll have to run against Gerhard Schröder; that will be very difficult", he said after his fourth quite narrow victory in 1994. But the chancellor of German unification has never been the type to retreat before a difficulty, so suggestions to pass the staff during the legislation period had never been taken up. "Certainty instead of Jeopardy" was the last motto of the chancellor's current campaign. The dimensions of both his and his party's defeat put in evidence the error of this slogan which didn't take in account the altered political climate in the Federal Republic, where voters were now asking for "Change instead of Stagnation".
However even in his darkest hour Kohl showed his great stature : With remarkable fairness and almost relief he congratulated the winner on his "personal victory". Without hesitation he also passed on the leadership of his party as did his Bavarian partner, former finance minister Theo Waigel. The renewal of German Christian Democrats lies now in the hands of Wolfgang Schäuble, Volker Rühe (both CDU) and Edmund Stoiber (CSU).
A stable majority
For the first time voters in the Federal Republic have imposed through their vote a complete change between government and opposition. And for the first time this incisive political change has been carried out without reproaches between the parts, as was unfortunately the case in 1969 and 1982, when the change in government came about only after a tortuous realignment in the coalition. This time there was actually no place for betrayal theories or poisoned accusations, because the German voters expressed their will with rare clarity, bestowing the new coalition of Social Democrats and Greens with a comfortable majority in parliament.
The Social Democrats (SPD) passed from 36,4 % in 1994 to 40,9 % (298 seats). Schröder's party has gained about 2,5 million votes, 2/3 of which came directly from Kohl's Christian Democrats, who passed from 41,5 % in 1994 to 35,2 % (245 seats), their worst result since 1949.
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