CDU Debacle in German State: Voters Punish Merkel's Conservatives in Crucial Vote

[sysop]

The center-left Social Democrats and the Greens have emerged with a clear majority in elections in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. The outcome is a significant setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and could further weaken the Christian Democrats in the run-up to national elections in 2013.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...832982,00.html

[Inglenda2]

It would be a sure sign of democratic satisfaction, with the efforts of Frau Kraft and the SPD in NRW, were the 39% result, presented in the media, really true. However this is not so, because only a little more than half of the electorate bothered to vote.
A generous description of this election result would therefore show this party as representing only approximately 20% of the ethnic German population. With other taxpaying Europeans, resident in this land not being allowed to take part, the Land Tag has little or nothing to do with the wishes of the people it is paid to represent.
As the Merkel government is also rapidly collapsing together with the Euro currency, the CDU does not offer a real alternative. Both larger parties have a habit of regularly making huge debts although the written constitution foresees such financial obligations only in the case of emergency.
Rather strange for the outside observer, is the fact that from those people who do take the trouble to vote, only a small minority are ready to support one of the many smaller political organisations.