Something to watch tomorrow: elections in Germany

[hedgehog]

Angela Merkel's party is under criticism for failing to pass laws guaranteeing rights to same sex couples. Angela Merkel is also a significant force pushing austerity on the EU. It would be nice to see her replaced with someone who has heard of Keynes!

[rdharma]

1. It would be nice to see Merkel replaced....... but it ain't gonna' happen.

Sorry!

[hedgehog]

2. One can always hope!

[antiquie]

3. German election stuff

A tight race is shaping up between German parties ahead of the federal election, which could make for a suspenseful evening on Sunday. The latest polls suggest incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel's current coalition government has a slight lead and could gain re-election on Sunday. But that outcome is far from certain, with polls showing her junior coalition partner, the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), just barely eking out the five percent of the vote required to stay in parliament.

It is fairly likely that Merkel will be re-elected, but who will she govern with? The FDP or the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), her conservative party's classic archrival, in a grand coalition government? With few prospects of winning the election with their own chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück, SPD strategists in recent days have been hoping for a strong enough election showing to catapult the party into a power-sharing government with Merkel.

Much more at http://www.spiegel.de/international/live-coverage-with-spiegel-international-for-german-federal-election-a-923602.html#ref=nl-international

Also interesting:
Democracy's Dropouts: The Quixotic Rise of German Non-Voters
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/decline-in-voter-turnout-in-germany-a-danger-to-democracy-a-923081.html#ref=nl-international