Three years ago Germans elected a new parliament. Three weeks ago, they did so again. The coalition Government of Social Democrats and Greens has now come to an unspectacular end, as they failed to gain a new majority of seats. Today, German politics are at a complete impasse. Most commentators speak of a political stalemate situation, where neither large party is able to form a Government with its preferred coalition partner. The Conservatives (CDU/CSU) were hoping to form a coalition with the opportunist Free Democrats (FDP) and the Social Democrats had looked forward to continue governing with the Greens (Die Gruenen). In my Suite101 comment on the previous German elections in 2002 (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/inte...
I spoke of a "worrisome split" amongst German voters. On the one hand, a block of conservative voters and on the other, an about equally large block of more socially inclined voters. German politics had reached a dead-end where "significant political change in terms of a more democratic and equitable society" was no longer likely to occur. As I write today, the news is that Schroeder's SPD and Merkel's CDU/CSU are coming to terms on Governing together by forming a "Grand Coalition". That of course is the final sell-out of any social identity the SPD may still raise claim to. For all practical purposes, as good as nothing what the SPD did while in power in the past two terms essentially differs from right-wing social and economic policies. What has changed with the September 18 elections, is the rise of a new left-wing party, "Die Linke", and the numeric possibility of a left-of-centre political alternative. "Die Linke" has come out of the elections as the fourth largest party and the mere presence of this party has overturned the traditional landscape of German party politics. Much more an alliance that an established political party, "Die Linke" was formed through the merger of the eastern-based PDS with a grouping of disenchanted former SPD-voters. Led by prominent PDS figure Gregor Gysi and notably, the former leader of the SPD Oskar Lafontaine, the new party reached nearly 9% of the popular vote and will have 54 seats in the new Parliament. In fact, all other parties lost votes, once it is realised that the gains for the FDP are in fact mostly votes cast by CDU/CSU supporters who hoped to boost chances of a conservative Government by splitting their first and second ballots between the two parties.
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