The Local Germany

Gay German MP 'violently arrested' at Istanbul demo

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:46:33 +0200

One of the most prominent members of Germany's Green party has been arrested in Turkey after attending a banned demo at the end of Gay Pride Week.

MP takes legal action on Pegida death threats

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 18:12:36 +0100

Green Party MP Volker Beck has initiated legal proceedings against the anti-Islamic group Pegida and several of its supporters over death threats against him on its Facebook page.

Beck's resignation over health questioned

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:06:00 +0200

Kurt Beck says he doesn’t want to be the state premier of Rhineland Palatinate for health reasons – but some commentators question his reasons.

Defender Beck last man dropped from World Cup squad

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:37:00 +0200

German coach Joachim Löw unveiled his final World Cup squad of 23 players late on Tuesday, with Andreas Beck of Hoffenheim the one man to miss out on the trip to South Africa.

Beck says lack of trust within SPD forced his resignation

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:29:00 +0200

Kurt Beck on Tuesday said he made a “conscious decision” to resign as head of the Social Democrats over the weekend after he felt he could no longer lead the party due to a lack of trust within the SPD.

Steinmeier faces difficult road toward chancellorship

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:17:00 +0200

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier embarked on a tough 12-month battle on Monday, fronting a demoralized and divided Social Democratic Party to challenge Angela Merkel for the chancellorship in elections next year.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier: the man who would be chancellor

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:28:00 +0200

Germany's Social Democrats have picked Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to take on Angela Merkel in next year's election. AFP's Deborah Cole profiles the man who would be chancellor.

Leftists promise long-term support for Ypsilanti in Hesse

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:01:00 +0200

The hard-line socialist Left party in the German state of Hesse has promised to support a minority government led by Social Democrat Andrea Ypsilanti for a full legislative period.

Müntefering returns to save Social Democrat election hopes

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:09:00 +0200

Social Democrat Party (SPD) grandee Franz Müntefering will return to full-time politics in Berlin, and most likely significant influence, according to a report in the Rheinische Post newspaper.

Ypsilanti reportedly planning new attempt to lead Hesse

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:16:00 +0200

Andrea Ypsilanti, the head of the Social Democrats (SPD) in the German state of Hesse, is reportedly preparing another attempt to forge a minority government supported by the hard-line socialist Left party.

Merkel’s CDU overtakes SPD as Germany’s biggest party

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:58:00 +0200

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union is bigger than its rival Social Democratic Party for the first time in German postwar history, the party announced Monday.

A third of SPD members mulling leaving the party

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:47:00 +0200

A third of all members of Germany’s Social Democratic Party are considering leaving the SPD, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

Support for SPD plummets to new low

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:53:00 +0200

Support for Germany’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) plummeted to an all-time low in an opinion poll released on Wednesday.

SPD to name chancellor candidate this summer: report

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:11:00 +0200

Germany’s Social Democrats reportedly want to name the party’s candidate for chancellor for the 2009 election before this summer’s parliamentary recess.

Support for Social Democrats plummets

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:22:00 +0100

A new poll has revealed that the turbulence of the last two weeks has left Germany's Social Democrats with their lowest public backing ever.

German Social Democrats try to quell leadership doubts

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:51:00 +0100

Germany’s Social Democrats continued to squabble over the direction of their party on Monday. Despite calls to rally behind embattled party chairman Kurt Beck, centrist SPD members urged him to forgo a bid to become chancellor in 2009.

Survey shows Social Democrats in free fall

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:46:00 +0100

The Social Democrats have plummeted in a new opinion poll, as the centre-left party struggles to position itself against Germany’s resurgent hard-line socialists in the Left Party.

Struck backs Beck as next SPD chancellor

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:43:00 +0100

SPD parliamentary group leader Peter Struck has given his backing to embattled Social Democratic chairman Kurt Beck as the party's 2009 candidate for chancellor amid ongoing concerns of his leadership.

SPD heavyweights reportedly plotting to sideline Beck

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:09:00 +0100

Amid a growing revolt against his leadership, top members of Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are reportedly planning to keep chairman Kurt Beck from becoming the party’s candidate for chancellor in 2009.