Germany Election

Angela Merkel looking to seek 4th term. No one expecting anything else.

Results out in few hours

CDU/CSU: 32.9 % (-8.6)
SPD: 20.2 % (-5.5)
AFD: 13.3 % (+8.6)

LEL

did you vote?

Nah, I don't care. I will leave Germany in a couple of years anyway.

Come to the UK

Merkel's win was expected but the real news is that Germany have a far right party in the parliament for the first time since WW2.

Those numbers should worry Merkel despite winning.

RealGunner wrote:Come to the UK

Switzerland or Canada.

RealGunner wrote:

Merkel's win was expected but the real news is that Germany have a far right party in the parliament for the first time since WW2.

Those numbers should worry Merkel despite winning.

Merkel's party got their second worst result of all time. Social democrats got their worst result of all time.

I predicted this 2 years ago in the "Procession of Plight" thread by the way.

Right wing growing in Germany, that's what we needed right now. Soothing.

http://time.com/4955503/germany-elections-2017-far-right-russia-angela-merkel/

Where are our German posters??? I was hoping to get their insights and comments.

iftikhar wrote:http://time.com/4955503/germany-elections-2017-far-right-russia-angela-merkel/

Where are our German posters??? I was hoping to get their insights and comments.

Depressing.

Which german city I need to visit for the best kebab hans?

RealGunner wrote:Which german city I need to visit for the best kebab hans?

Berlin had some goat doner kebab when I was there back in high school

RealGunner wrote:Which german city I need to visit for the best kebab hans?

Any German city, basically.
Though Berlin, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen are probably the classic Döner locations. Köln maybe too.

As for the election... Meh.

Been in Leipzig just 2 days ago , very nice day. Already (n)ostalgia ffs (:


About the German election ,well , one of most expected results ever imo . And that's worrying too imo.

CDU-CSU have won easily because they were without rivals . More for it than for their merits imo. Expected their victory and as much expected SPD 's collapse. SPD is in its worst period ever, confirmed their decline even under Schutz. Bad Godesberg was called for much less in '59 ..
For every European elector voter (as me ) is enough dramatic to look what it is becoming this party, strategically important not just for Germany..
Meanwhile the growth of this far right party ( born just 4 years ago.. ) yes sounds as worrying on paper, but I don't know if I ' m going to underrate it ( or it is just my hope. on the other hand the perception is influenced by desire and then it shifts into belief )
but I am not really worried atm, even if their result was definitely brillaint.
but for me their result was influenced mainly
from discontent caused from the 2 most important parties in German ( yes , it has to do even with CDU, of course not same level than SPD )

In the short term this is a shit show, but in the long run, it's impossible to predict.

For now, I'll post the optimistic scenario, and maybe tomorrow, I'll drop a few words on the worst case.

The SPD willingly leaving the government and going into the opposition might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. While in the short term, it will hurt the European project because the FDP will torpedo any meaningfully progressive European legislation, it will provide disenfranchised voters with a legitimate option for a constructive vote opposing the government, and we can all very much expect the SPD to rise a lot in the polls in the coming four years.

In the mean time, the AfD being exposed at the national stage will lead many people to realize what a hodgepodge of idiots this party is. Surely there are many people lucky or unlucky enough to have a reasonable AfD direct candidate within their Wahlkreis, but they will have no option but view the big picture, and that is a party that is home to the most vile of hatred, bigotry, and racism. This will not lose them all support, but they won't do double digits again.
Also, they might just self-destruct. Frauke Petry beautifully started the process, and by the time the next elections roll around, there might be a right-wing (or rather radical right) remnant of the AfD, and a moderate one. The right-wing one will be too extreme to have mass appeal, and won't be able to hide behind their moderates, while the moderates will be indistinguishable from the CDU or FDP, both of whom feature more reasonable personnel.

Yes it sucks, it's embarrassing, but the AfD won't be able to do much except yell a bit, and nobody will listen to them. They might very well be gone by 2021.

the right wing seems to be growing by the day in Europe.

Robe wrote:More for it than for their merits imo. Expected their victory and as much expected SPD 's collapse.

As I checked after the results were out, SPD finished third in half the regions/states with CDU and AfD or Left ahead of SPD.

Also I think Left and Green should be more alarmed than SPD as disenchanted centrist (left or right) voters flocked to extreme right than progressive left.

Coalition talks collapse in Germany ffs

Good.

a very good outcome, one cannot govern against the populace.

Babun wrote:a very good outcome, one cannot govern against the populace.

Not sure what that is supposed to mean. The populace votes and the make-up of the parliament is the result.

So what happens now? snap election?

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Babun wrote:a very good outcome, one cannot govern against the populace.

Not sure what that is supposed to mean. The populace votes and the make-up of the parliament is the result.

The populace was offered Angela Merkel without an alternative (Schulz? Come on!) The result is this mess. Lots of ex CDU voters voted for AFD and FDP due to the lack of options for their conservative views.

There is no clear strategy whatsever how:
1. Immigration is going to be controlled in some way at least
2. Soli existence which is prolonged even more
3. Exit from the nuclear energy. I want to exit like the Greens want by 2030 but I want a concrete idea HOW they are going to achieve that. Meanwhile, the German economy shouldn't tank without concrete ideas.

There are more points but those ones were from the top of my list. Each time, the representatives of CDU, Greens or CSU are asked those question they try to wriggle out by not answering at all which is not good enough for me.

If we are offered Merkel again, then she should reign with a minority now. As long as she is present, another mess will emerge. No need for new elections.

RealGunner wrote:So what happens now? snap election?

Merkel said she won't reign in a minority gouvernment => snap elections.

On paper it's strange to observe even Germany can't constitute a government... it's typical of democracies less evolved .. as Italy or Spain...
But not really surprising.
At the end the parties  '  crisis is even in Germany.
It was not a CDU victory, but it was simply the SPD collapse to determine the election result.
We talk about 2 parties in difficulty, but just to be clear SPD  has  the appearance of a terminal sufferer.
Anyway it's obvious that    SPD  didn't agree  to form again a Gross Koalition , it was a negative experience  for the party (not in 66.... but in 2013 )

Hapless_Hans wrote:Good.

Is this sarcastic or genuine?

Explain yourself

(because I'm curious, not because I have an opinion on the matter)

CBarca wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:Good.

Is this sarcastic or genuine?

Explain yourself

(because I'm curious, not because I have an opinion on the matter)

Not sarcastic. Will write more at some point.