SPIEGEL ONLINE
- May 15, 2012
Hopes that Chancellor Angela Merkel will back down from her strict insistence on austerity are likely to be dashed despite mounting European criticism of her policy and a crushing state election defeat for her party on Sunday. Most Germans like how she has handled the crisis, say analysts. By David Crossland more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- May 14, 2012
Chancellor Angela Merkel has been weakened by the humiliating election defeat of her conservatives in the large state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday. German media commentators say she will face a harder time securing backing for her austerity policy at home, at a time when resistance to it is building across Europe. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- May 14, 2012
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. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 20, 2012
The rise of the Pirate Party has been swift and virtually without opposition, but resistance is now emerging. Writers and musicians have a problem with the Internet-freedom party's approach to intellectual property. By Sven Becker, Jan Fleischhauer and Rene Pfister more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 19, 2012
German Chancellor Merkel has made it clear that she would like to see French President Nicolas Sarkozy win a second term. Indeed, if his challenger François Hollande emerges victorious in the country's upcoming election, she could face isolation in Europe. But a Sarkozy re-election might be problematic, too. By Veit Medick and Severin Weiland more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 16, 2012
For decades, Nobel laureate Günter Grass has supported Germany's Social Democrats on the campaign trail. Despite massive critique of the author's recent poem about Israel, SPD head Sigmar Gabriel defends Grass in an interview with SPIEGEL. He also says that the Pirate Party still has a lot to learn. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 28, 2012
Germany's political establishment doesn't know how to react to the Pirate Party, which now has seats in two state parliaments and owns the debate on Internet issues. But although the party's radical experiments in transparency and participation may have caught its rivals off guard, its no-holds-barred debating culture can also backfire. By SPIEGEL Staff
more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 26, 2012
The success of the Pirate Party in Sunday's election in Saarland shows it will be a force to be reckoned with in coming elections, say German commentators. Angela Merkel will be able to draw some relief from the victory of her CDU in the state -- but her coalition partner, the FDP, sank further towards oblivion. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 15, 2012
The government of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, collapsed on Wednesday after the Free Democrats unexpectedly blocked a budget measure. In Thursday's newspapers, German commentators speculate on how this apparent setback could actually help the Social Democrats and Greens at both the state and national level. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 14, 2012
The government of North Rhine-Westphalia has lost a key budget vote, a development that is expected to trigger an early election in Germany's most populous state. The vote could rock Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition by further weakening her junior coalition partner, the Free Democrats. more...
