I thought I might open a thread on this subject and how the campains are running here. I think this article describes best one of the main points I have to critizise about this election:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germ...21475.html
There has been hardly any "substance" during this campain and issues where hardly argued over. The entire election has sunk to the level of a grotesk battle over which candidate has the best "image". I guess most of the German population knows that the decision in 2013 will greatly impact European policies in total and do not like the idea of their country playing an international role. Germanys role in the management of the European financial crisis is a big issue which actualy should be discussed. But the arguments hardly seem to count, which may be something common in other countries but is a first here. Other than that Merkel would have to take some beatings when arguing policies, especialy concerning the recent NSA leaks and the completl bogged down energy reform.
The social democratic candidate Peer Steinbrück has pritty much already lost. He started this campain ignoring image questions and running forward with political arguments, which the electorate seems to ignore.
The Greens will probably be the big winners of this campain. They achieved a gigantic boost in all state and mayoral elections in the past years and have advanced themselves from being a party of useless hippies to a serious political player. Yet they still have a problem with leftwing fundermentalists in their core, who propose some taxincreases which would ruin the national economy.
The liberterians might lose big after winning big in the last election. Their entire time in goverment was accompanied with various scandles and an utterly incompetent party leader who was forced to resign in consequence.
The Left, well I dont have much to say about the communist party which evolved out of the bureaucratic remenance of the east German dictatorship in a friendly, let alone objective way. I just hope they get kicked out of parlarment.
There has not been a single goverment formed by one party alone here since the 1950s. There are loads of political parties in this country and pritty much every single oppinion out there has a party fitting to it. So there will most likely be a coalition goverment.
I predict that there will either be a conservative - green coalition, or a socialist - green coalition where the greens get more political leverage.
And maybe, if things go Better for Merkel in the next two weeks, the liberterian - conservative coalition might continue.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germ...21475.html
Quote:The German campaign is in full swing, but Chancellor Angela Merkel is carefully avoiding controversial issues. Her stump message focuses entirely on her person and gives short shrift to her plans for Germany's future. Her only platform is her popularity.
There has been hardly any "substance" during this campain and issues where hardly argued over. The entire election has sunk to the level of a grotesk battle over which candidate has the best "image". I guess most of the German population knows that the decision in 2013 will greatly impact European policies in total and do not like the idea of their country playing an international role. Germanys role in the management of the European financial crisis is a big issue which actualy should be discussed. But the arguments hardly seem to count, which may be something common in other countries but is a first here. Other than that Merkel would have to take some beatings when arguing policies, especialy concerning the recent NSA leaks and the completl bogged down energy reform.
The social democratic candidate Peer Steinbrück has pritty much already lost. He started this campain ignoring image questions and running forward with political arguments, which the electorate seems to ignore.
The Greens will probably be the big winners of this campain. They achieved a gigantic boost in all state and mayoral elections in the past years and have advanced themselves from being a party of useless hippies to a serious political player. Yet they still have a problem with leftwing fundermentalists in their core, who propose some taxincreases which would ruin the national economy.
The liberterians might lose big after winning big in the last election. Their entire time in goverment was accompanied with various scandles and an utterly incompetent party leader who was forced to resign in consequence.
The Left, well I dont have much to say about the communist party which evolved out of the bureaucratic remenance of the east German dictatorship in a friendly, let alone objective way. I just hope they get kicked out of parlarment.
There has not been a single goverment formed by one party alone here since the 1950s. There are loads of political parties in this country and pritty much every single oppinion out there has a party fitting to it. So there will most likely be a coalition goverment.
I predict that there will either be a conservative - green coalition, or a socialist - green coalition where the greens get more political leverage.
And maybe, if things go Better for Merkel in the next two weeks, the liberterian - conservative coalition might continue.
