Before the recent elections in the German states of Thuringia, Saarland and
Saxony it seemed likely that Christian Democrat (CDU) German Chancellor
Angela Merkel would return to power comfortably this year, probably in
coalition with the free-market fundamentalists of the Free Democratic
Party (FDP).
On August 30, however, German voters went to the polls in the three
states and for local elections in North Rhine Westphalia. The result —
an unmistakable swing to the left — has blown prospects for the
September 27 German federal elections wide open. Both big parties — the
centre-right CDU and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) — received
heavy blows.
In national opinion polls, the SPD (a junior partner in a federal
"grand coalition" government with the CDU) has slumped to a historic low
of 22%. On August 30, its vote continued to decline. The SPD polled
only 10.4% in Saxony, and 18.5% in Thuringia.
However, the biggest loser was the ruling CDU. Its vote dropped by
more than 13 points in both Thuringia and Saarland — the worst results
since 1949. It will probably lose government in both states.
