Schroeder's Party Routed in German Vote

[Nambe]

The Associated Press

German voters handed Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder a stinging defeat in elections Sunday in the small western state of Saarland, reflecting public anger over his drive to cut into the country's cherished network of social programs.

Schroeder's Social Democrats slumped to about 30 percent of the vote for the state legislature from 44.4 percent in the last election in 1999, according to projections by both German public television channels based on exit polls. ..

Need A Hug Go To The Store!

[stepnw1f]

1. Christian Democratic Party?

Seperation of Church and State anyone?

[da_chimperor]

2. It's just a name

They're the German conservative party. Nothing really Christian about them other than the name. You don't really have fundamentalist Christians in Germany anyway. They're pretty conservative, but I think that their opposition to Schröder's reforms are more political than ideological.

[Kagemusha]

3. Maybe in this day and age

but it certainly was much more Christian (read: Catholic) in the past...

[MockSwede]

12. German Catholic?

Wait a minute! Don't you know that Martin Luther was from Germany. Where do you think Protestantism started? How did you get Lutheranism? A place to start reading about Germany and Luther and the Reformation:

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/cities.htm

Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

Found the above earlier elsewhere on DU.

[atre]

4. Not all countries follow that as a bedrock constitutional principle

In fact, you only have the Baptists (believe it or not) to thank for our recognition of it today.

[stepnw1f]

9. I'd Rather Not Thank Them

Really.

[AP]

5. I heard that this is the smallest German state and it's very conservative.

Not exactly the canary in the coalmine that should get people hyper-nervous.

A warning sign, perhaps. But probably not a sign of imminent disaster.

[Kellanved]

6. very conservative?

Smallest?
It is neither. Bremen is smaller. The Saarland had Social Democratic PMs from 1980 to 1999.

This election result had several reasons:
-voters unhappy with Federal Government
-Former SPD candidate for Federal Chancellor, Lafontaine, campaigning against his own party
-low turnout (just 55%)
-weak SPD candidate
-greens siphoning up SPD votes
...

[AP]

7. That's what BBC reported "one of the smallest and traditionally very...

...conservative."

[Kellanved]

8. well

The small part is true, the conservative not. The Saarland has just three seats in the Bundesrat upper house - so calling it "one of the smallest" is certainly correct.

[Karenina]

10. Hi Kellanved!!!

Es hat aal immer vigger jon! :hi:

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

11. Saarland is like our Ohio Valley..heavy industry, mining, car factorys....

Think Steubenville or Pittsrburgh....with a bit of Detroit thrown in (Ford has a big assembly plant in the town of Saarlouis).

This used to be a solid union/social democratic state.