May 22, 2005
OUTLASTING ANOTHER ONE:
Germany 'set for early election' (BBC, 5/22/05)
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder plans to call an election this autumn - a year early - after his party lost a key powerbase in Sunday's local poll.His Social Democrat Party made the proposal as exit polls showed the SPD had been ousted after 39 years in power in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The opposition had focused on the huge unemployment in the state.
With five million jobless nationally, the general election may turn on the same issue, says the BBC's Ray Furlong.
The SPD is also lagging behind in national polls.
Mr Schroeder's Social Democrat-led government has not only lost its traditional powerbase, but it has also now lost so many seats in the Bundesrat upper house of parliament that its ability to actively govern is massively diminished, our Berlin correspondent says.
The SPD showing in North Rhine-Westphalia - Germany's most populous state - was far worse than had been expected, our correspondent says.
Strange, Bush, Blair, and Howard all posted historic victories... Posted by Orrin Judd at May 22, 2005 2:17 PM
Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of demogogues.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at May 22, 2005 2:30 PMIf indeed the burning issue was high unemployment, it will be interesting to see what (if any) solutions are proposed. I kinda expect that they'll propose something like a 35 hour week, to "share the jobs".
Posted by: ray at May 22, 2005 6:39 PMWait until their unemployment hits 15%.
If Germany bordered the US, there would be thousands of bierstuben in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. I have seen them in parts of Brazil, owned by Germans who left to live the wild life with the wild women.
Posted by: jim hamlen at May 23, 2005 3:43 PM