The Local Germany

SPD’s Gabriel open to coalition with leftists

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:46:00 +0200

Breaking a longstanding political taboo, Sigmar Gabriel, the designated leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), has said he would consider working with the hard-line socialist party The Left after Germany’s next federal election in four years.

Merkel starts contentious coalition talks with FDP

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:28:00 +0200

Freshly re-elected Chancellor Angela Merkel begins on Monday what could be prickly negotiations with her new coalition partners over forming a government amid differences over taxes and ministerial portfolios.

Conservatives lay out road map for tax cuts

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:46:00 +0200

Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian allies have struck and agreement over tax relief ahead of coalition negotiations with the Free Democrats next week, promising cuts but not setting a firm date for their introduction.

Germany mulls realities of first openly gay foreign minister

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:57:00 +0200

He had his public coming-out five years ago at Angela Merkel’s 50th birthday party and now Guido Westerwelle is in the frame to become Europe’s first openly gay foreign minister.

Making the SPD relevant through redundancy

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:37:00 +0200

The Social Democrats suffered a resounding defeat in Sunday’s election. Lorenz Maroldt, editor-in-chief of Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel, believes the beleaguered centre-left party can now deal with the issues it has neglected for too long.

Future foreign minister Westerwelle refuses to answer English question

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:36:00 +0200

Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s newly designated foreign minister, refused to answer a question in English for a BBC reporter during his first press conference after the election, news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Monday.

Merkel warns Germans of challenges ahead

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:29:00 +0200

Angela Merkel set to work Monday on a new centre-right coalition after clinching a second term, but warned Germans of a hard road ahead to revive the sickly economy and rescue jobs.

World leaders congratulate Merkel on election win

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:37:00 +0200

US President Barack Obama and other world leaders hailed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's election triumph - but the international media highlighted the German conservatives' worst vote tally in half a century.

The Local's live coverage of the 2009 election

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:51:00 +0200

Join The Local for live coverage from the election headquarters of Germany's five main political parties in Berlin. We'll have interviews and insights all evening long. Click your browser's refresh button for the latest updates.

Merkel's conservatives win with FDP: exit polls

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:41:00 +0200

Early exit polls showed Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives winning Germany's election on Sunday, with a centre-right coalition with the Free Democrats likely.

Is Germany ready for a reforming Merkel?

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:05:00 +0200

German voters have handed Chancellor Angela Merkel another four years in office and a mandate for change. But will the country wake up with an election hangover if she now becomes a vigorous conservative reformer?

Turnout low as German voters head to the polls

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:26:00 +0200

Despite abundant sunshine and mild temperatures across much of Germany, voter turnout for the country's general election on Sunday was shaping up to be much lower than four years ago.

The colourful coalitions possible from Germany's vote

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:13:00 +0200

Will it be a Jamaica coalition, the traffic light, black-yellow, or perhaps even red-red-green? There's a kaleidoscope of possibilities for the outcome of Sunday's German election, where every party goes under its own colour.

Parties make final push before election

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:47:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made an 11th-hour push for votes on Saturday, the eve of an election expected to return her to power but perhaps not in the new coalition she wants.

Half of Germans back compulsory vote amid falling turnout

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:13:00 +0200

Nearly half of Germans favour the introduction of compulsory voting to lift the participation rate as the country heads into an election that could draw the lowest turnout on record, according to a new poll.

Steinmeier warns of social unrest with Merkel

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:28:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's embattled challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned of social injustice and unrest if her right-wing coalition of choice wins Sunday's poll and predicted its lead would vanish on election night.

Merkel faces ‘hanging chad’ election victory

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:28:00 +0200

Angela Merkel looks set to remain chancellor after Germany’s general election on Sunday. But as The Local’s Marc Young explains, she could end up governing with a coalition lacking democratic legitimacy.

A nation of 80 million Merkels

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:48:00 +0200

With less than a week before Germany’s election, Roger Boyes, the Berlin correspondent for British daily The Times, muses that the country’s voters like being bored by Angela Merkel and her political cohorts.

The FDP’s Serkan Tören: ‘I didn’t want to leave the choices to others’

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:40:00 +0200

With the September 27 election approaching, The Local's continues its series of interviews with candidates for parliament with non-German backgrounds. Serkan Tören is a Turkish-born lawyer in Hamburg running for a seat in Bundestag for the Free Democrats.

The Greens’ Omid Nouripour: ‘You have to fight for democracy’

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:36:00 +0200

As the federal election approaches, The Local's new series on politicians with non-German roots features Green party MP Omid Nouripour, an Iranian-born Hessian who says his background gives him a special appreciation for democracy.