September 29th, 2009 - Life Goes On in Germany
by Andrew CohenViews for this post: 780
Germany had an election on Sunday. It gave the Christian Democrats, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, just over 33 per cent of the popular vote.
Her closest rival, the Social Democrats, got 23 per cent. The other parties got far less. None won a majority in the Bundestag.
So, Merkel will do what she did in 2005, when her Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats were virtually even. She will form a coalition, though this time it won’t be “the grand coalition” with the Social Democrats, who are left-of-centre. It will be with the Free Democrats, who are right-of-centre.






Jack Mitchell is a poet and writer living in Toronto, author of two novels for young adults and a Canadian epic poem. His work has appeared in Geist, the National Post, and the LRC. He is a graduate of McGill University and of Stanford University.