Merkel's party beaten by rightwing populists in state election – exit polls

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Merkel's party beaten by rightwing populists in state election – exit polls

Alternative für Deutschland on 21% with chancellor’s CDU
on 20% in German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Philip Oltermann in Berlin
Sunday 4 September 2016 17.33 BST

Angela Merkel has suffered a sobering defeat in regional elections in her constituency of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) coming third behind the Social Democrats (SPD) and the rightwing populists Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

First projections after polls closed saw the centre-left SPD on 30.2%, anti-immigration AfD on 21.4% and the chancellor’s centre-right CDU suffering its all-time lowest result in the north-eastern state, with 19.8%. Earlier this year, the CDU had looked like the party most likely to be tasked with forming the next state government.

For the past 10 years, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has been governed in a “grand coalition” between the SPD and CDU, mirroring the current power structure at federal level.

But an increasingly divisive debate over the consequences of the German government’s strategy during the refugee crisis has spurred support for AfD – fronted in the state by Leif-Erik Holm, a radio presenter based in Berlin’s multicultural Prenzlauer Berg district – even though the state has been largely insulated from the refugee crisis.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/04/mecklenburg-vorpommern-german-anti-immigrant-party-strong-regional-election-exit-polls-merkel

[DetlefK]

1. Possibly because Merkel committed a major political fuck-up just this week.

About a month ago, the german Bundestag passed a resolution that they consider the death of the Armenians at the hands of the Osmanian Empire during WWI a genocide. Turkey was supremely pissed, because Turkey is the bestest country in the world and would never do that. (Also, maybe, because Turkey has a special bond to Germany because it has a huge turkish minority.)

Anyways, Turkey was so pissed that it forbid german lawmakers from visiting the german troops that are stationed in the turkish military-base in Incirlik to fight ISIS. Now Germany was pissed that german lawmakers weren't allowed to visit german troops.
(Plus all the other trouble, e.g. how Erdogan is stomping his foot and demanding preferential treatment from the EU.)

Now, what was Merkel's fuck-up?

She, the german chancellor and head of the german government, disavowed the decision of the german Bundestag.

Just imagine that: A head of state who declares that a resolution of his own parliament doesn't really count and really shouldn't be taken that seriously.





When it was reported on the website of the german state-run TV-channel ARD, I read the comment-section. 90% were shocked, 9% were shocked and royally pissed, and 1% called it a sensible move.