by Amy Rabinowitz | Germany’s multi-party system leaves it without a chancellor.
This past week, the German elections saw an unexpected turn of events when the votes surprisingly failed to give any coalition a clear majority. What was anticipated to be closure to the campaigns has now left two candidates, the incumbent Gerhard Schröder and the challenger Angela Merkel, claiming a mandate for power.
This election is crucial for Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, which is currently facing difficulties that include slow growth, high deficits, and high unemployment. It is not yet certain who is going to be tack-ling these problems, but the currently blurry situation only complicates issues.
The elections seemed to be the light at the end of the tunnel for a seesaw campaign between the two candidates. Merkel, who hoped to be the first female chancellor, strongly supports American-style free market economics and closer ties with the United States. Throughout her campaign, she has criticized Schröder’s plans for social welfare and expressed a desire to lower government involvement. Her opponent, a veteran politician losing his momentum, argued that Merkel’s capitalistic ideas were unfair.
Merkel represented the Christian Democratic Union, which received the highest total vote, 35.2 percent. Despite unexpected strong support from her CDU party’s main coalition partner, the pro-business Free Democratic Party, she failed to gain an absolute majority in parliament. Schröder, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, received 34.3 percent, bringing his party’s parliamentary majority to an end.
Merkel promises a positive relationship with America. Her desire to create stronger economic and political bonds will be instrumental in the next decades, allowing Germany to maintain its friendly industrial and military ties to the United States. From America’s perspective, Merkel is undeniably the better choice, as she would push for strengthening this relationship.
Merkel might be able to mend the anti-American stance taken by Schröder to win his election in 2002. While he denounced the Iraq war, Merkel has signaled to Washington that she wants to soothe the troubled trans-Atlantic relation-ship. Her appeal to Germans to make peace with America over the war hurt her campaign but demonstrates her commitment to America. Even if one does not support the war in Iraq, it is easy to comprehend the value of a supportive ally. Merkel also wants to strongly support America while it deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, pointing out that “many will remember how the Americans supported us after the Second World War,” and encouraging Germany to do the same.
Schröder, on the other hand, was using his position of power to play Russian Roulette with Germany’s foreign affairs. His arrogance has made him claim that he has “won a plebiscite of the German people.” His cockiness as a politician can be seen in his refusal to enter into any coalition with any party that would not choose him as chancellor, a bold move since he currently does not have a majority. While he has visibly enacted economic reforms in Germany, the actual results have been mostly undetectable. In his dealings with America, he has consistently been unsupportive and uncooperative.
As Germany’s next ruling coalition takes shape, Schröder and Merkel have no one to blame but the federalist, multiparty system that made the crisis possible. Often praised, the system actually works against the majority. Multi-party systems like it are inefficient because they do not create unity, an essential quality in a stable government. Currently, no matter which candidate wins, he or she will have a rocky start. Without the support that comes from a majority vote, it is difficult to move forward.
While the American system is often criticized, it has at least one thing going for it—a big tent attitude that contributes to stable two-party dominance. While many Democrats or Republicans differ from others in their party, they all fall under one umbrella organization and collectively work together; there is always one common goal. With multiple parties, there are four, five, maybe more. If Merkel had a 70% majority vote, it would be much more reassuring than the full support of one party with a 30% vote.
The German elections are significant for their potential influence on America and the flaws it has exposed in the German electoral system. In this day and age, a major world player like Germany affects us all. The outcome of this election will determine if Germany moves forward as a pro-American economic power or as another unsupportive voice. It does not take rocket science to understand the positive effect Merkel could have on America. The election has illustrated the shortcomings of Germany’s system, as the country now prepares for a power struggle born out the instability and ambiguity it has produced, and America’s relationship with Germany hangs on the line.
Miss Rabinowitz is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
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