Aufuedersen Herr Schroeder, Hello Coalition und Frau Merkel

And some of you wonder why the US does politics and government a tad differently than the Europeans. Well, look at the German elections. Schroeder got edged out of Chancellor, and Merkel got in. However, the Parliament is now a fractured and patchwork waiting for gridlock and grudgematches that will make the Congressional shutdowns of the 1990s look like a game of Paddy Cake.....

I wish Frau Angela Merkel the best of luck, especially with the left leaning plurality of the Socialist Democrat party and the Green Party.

Read more off this blog:
http://www.tearingdownthewall.com/


Schroeder Gets the Boot
by Jason on Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:02 am

Ok, I’ve visited quite a few different news links (FOX, CNN & the BBC) on this story now, and it appears that Christian Democratic Union challenger Angela Merkel has defeated Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder by a razor thin margin in the recent German elections (35.2% to 34.3%). However, her party was unable to win the governing majority it was expected too. With double digit unemployment, and scant economic growth, most media outlets were all predicting a crushing defeat for Schroeder and his Social Democratic Party as the election approached. But big surprise, those idiots were all wrong. Nevertheless, he does in fact appear to have been unseated as Chancellor of Germany. This is a good thing, as Merkel has been campaigning on a pledge to try and “mend fences with Washington.” Unfortunately, Schroeder seems to have learned a lesson or two from our own Al Gore and is refusing to concede the election. Defiantly stating that "The result today shows that the country will have Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor," and that "Over the next four years there will be a stable government under my leadership,”. Anyways, from where I’m sitting (and I do admit that I’m sitting pretty far way) it still does appear that he will have to relinquish power. God, I sure hope we’ve seen the last of that guy! *********
Here are the official election results according to the AP:

Social Democrats: 34.3 percent (down from 38.5 percent in 2002), 16.15 million votes.
Christian Democrats: 35.2 percent (38.5 percent), 16.59 million votes.
Free Democrats: 9.8 percent (7.4 percent), 4.62 million votes.
Greens: 8.1 percent (8.6 percent) 3.83 million votes.
Left Party: 8.7 percent
(Ex-communist Party of Democratic Socialism 4 percent), 4.09 million votes.
Small fringe parties won the remaining 3.9 percent of the votes.

Turnout was 77.7 percent.

And this article:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/19/D8CNDIA8A.html

And a little op-ed. Germany now joins the EU fraternity clicque, where membership requirement is for a Parliament with no solid Majority. The UK while keeping Tony Blair, has pluralities between the Labour Party, Tories, and other leftists. Italy has Berlusconni, but also a patchwork Coalition since Parliament dissolved last year. One can only wonder what may happen in France, Russia, or other European states.....

And you wonder why we moved out and started our own country.....