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| Europe |
| Germanys FDP rejects traffic light coalition |
| 2009-09-21 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] Germany's Free Democrats (FDP) have turned a cold shoulder to the main challengers of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Social Democrats (SDP), ahead of the September 27 vote. Dismissing indications that they would join the SPD in a coalition that could try to replace Merkel's Conservative-led coalition, the FDP said they would only rule in partnership with Merkel's CDU. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle announced the decision at an extraordinary congress of the party in Potsdam, one week before federal elections in Germany. A coalition comprising of the SPD, FDP and the Greens is the only apparent formula that could stop Merkel from winning a second term. The business oriented FDP said they had arrived at the decision not to help the other parties gain majority over concerns that "the manifestos of the SPD and the Greens will raise the burden on the taxpayer." This dashes SPD's hopes for a so-called "traffic light" coalition -- named after the colors of the parties. Pre-election polls suggest Merkel in the lead, predicting the conservatives and the FDP to secure a narrow parliamentary majority in the election, although the race has been tightening. Free from long-time rivals, the SPD, which have been part of her "grand coalition" since 2005, Merkel's center-right party would likely seek tax cuts and extend the life of Germany's unpopular nuclear power stations, bypassing a law that orders the complete shut down of the country's aging nuclear power plants by 2020. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 "Mooslim may try something." They probably will, Besoeker. That should nicely cement her win - by a huge margin. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-09-21 15:45 |
| #2 Mooslim may try something. Things are a bit tense. |
| Posted by: Besoeker in Duitsland 2009-09-21 15:09 |
| #1 I'm going to take a gamble and I think Merkel will win easily and extend her margin. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2009-09-21 12:13 |