Is Angela Merkel's government about to get cooked in hot Greece?

[marmar]

from the Independent UK:



Greek instability threatens to topple Merkel's government

By Tony Paterson in Berlin
Wednesday, 28 April 2010


Growing opposition from the German public to a planned bailout of Greece is jeopardising Angela Merkel's chances in a key state election next week and could ultimately undermine the stability of her coalition government.

The country's most populous state of North Rhine Westphalia goes to the polls on 9 May. At the moment, the conservative Chancellor's Christian Democrats are in government with the liberal Free Democrats in North Rhine Westphalia in a coalition which mirrors Ms Merkel's federal government. But they are facing a stiff challenge from a possible coalition of Social Democrats and Greens.

With less than a fortnight to go before the ballot, opinion polls in the state put the two political groupings either neck and neck or with leads so small as to make any accurate prediction of the outcome impossible.

And it is not just Mrs Merkel's opponents giving her a headache. The Greek bailout has also ignited an untimely political row within the ruling coalition – at both state and national level.

Andreas Pinkwart, North Rhine Westphalia's liberal leader, has been publicly asking why Greece should be offered billions – Germany is expected to stump up an estimated €8.4bn (£7.3bn), by far the largest European Union slice – while Germans are being denied tax cuts. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greek-instability-threatens-to-topple-merkels-government-1956185.html