Quack, quack, Chancellor Merkel

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:




Disgruntled Germans go to polls with Merkel's coalition under threat
Fears that state elections could turn Merkel into a lame duck chancellor

Kate Connolly
The Observer, Sunday 9 May 2010


The UK has been so immersed in political fever that another highly significant election has gone almost unnoticed. When Germans go to the polls in state elections today, at stake will be not only the future of Angela Merkel's ruling coalition in Berlin, but also the direction of Europe's biggest economy.

The outcome of the vote in the industrial North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the country's most populous state, is critical for chancellor Merkel, whose coalition, like the government of NRW, comprises a mix of liberals and conservatives.

If the parties lose, Merkel's government will automatically forgo its majority in the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament. Defeat would be a crushing blow to her administration's ability to push through social and health reforms as well as tax cuts. It would leave her dependent on the opposition to pass key fiscal legislation she hopes will define her second term in office. The effect of defeat could be dramatic – turning Europe's powerhouse into a feeble player at the very moment strong leadership is imperative.

A lame duck Merkel would be in a far weaker position to fight for the measures she believes will ensure the future stability of the euro, such as more stringent checks of members' book-keeping. With tensions between Europe's economic engines already building, the effect on the eurozone could be devastating and ultimately even bring the single currency to its knees, say economic experts in Berlin. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/09/german-elections-angela-merkel