What a time...and who is in charge of handling all of this..Yeltsin, Clinton, Blair, Obuchi,,now this..Saddam has more stature than them..
"The serious questions that Germany faces have proved too serious for either side to put on the table. There are a lot of undesirable truths out there, but people will not face up to them."
Kohl's reign set to end in German poll cliffhanger
By Philip Sherwell in Berlin
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The new dome of the once and future home of the German parliament, the Reichstag
SIXTY million Germans go to the polls today, apparently set on electing a weak coalition government, ill-equipped to handle the the country's economic woes and turmoil on financial markets.
With the closest elections since 1945 heading for a cliffhanger conclusion, it seems many voters will make their choice only as they arrive at the polling stations. The only certainty is that talks about forming coalitions will begin as soon as the ballots close at 6pm. But the vote is expected to herald the end for Helmut Kohl, the 19-stone political colossus who is Europe's longest-serving leader.
Although opinion polls predict a close finish, the Social Democrats' Gerhard Schröder remains the frontrunner. But the country's complex electoral system has thrown up a bizarre quirk of history: the fate of the ex-communist party of Democratic Socialism in its eastern strongholds is likely to decide whether he will rule in a grand coalition with the Christian Democrats or in a Red-Green alliance with the environmentalists.
Germany is condemned to coalition governments by the vagaries of the sort of proportional representation system that Tony Blair has contemplated for Britain. The various coalition permutations point to a government too weak to overhaul an uncompetitive economy with unemployment at more than four million.
The impact of this decision-making paralysis is already being felt in the depressed east, where unemployment is nearly 20 per cent and both the PDS and the far-Right are attracting disillusioned voters. Despite the exciting finish, Germany's next leader will have won by default after an uninspiring contest between the rivals for chancellor.
A hoarse, tired and tense Mr Schrouml;der signed off in lacklustre form at his final campaign rally in front of more than 10,000 party faithful at an east Berlin sports stadium. Gone was the confident, expansive man who just a few weeks ago thought he was coasting to victory. Instead, the SPD candidate perspired nervously under the arc lights as he struggled to enliven the crowd. "Germans can vote for a new awakening or for stagnation," he said. Despite Chancellor Kohl's achievements he had divided the people, not united them, he said.
Seeking a record fifth term, Mr Kohl did not do much better on his Rhineland home turf in Mainz. He delivered one of his long and rambling speeches, heavy on history and light on vision. The message was simple: a vote for the CDU was a vote for stability and continuity.
But Germans want a change at the top. They are, however, fearful of painful economic reforms. Historian Dr Michael Stürmer, a former Kohl adviser said: "The serious questions that Germany faces have proved too serious for either side to put on the table. There are a lot of undesirable truths out there, but people will not face up to them."
Downing Street is hoping for a Social Democrat victory that will complete a clean sweep for the moderate Left in Europe's big four - Germany, Britain, France and Italy - and bolster British efforts to take a central role in European politics.
Mr Schröder, an Anglophile north German Protestant, has been pushing the idea of a European "triangle" of Berlin, London and Paris to replace the long-standing Franco-German axis. The concept is viewed with suspicion in France and with interest in London. A Foreign Office official said: "You could compare this to being flattered by the approach of a beautiful girl, only to find that she was on the rebound from her first boyfriend."
If Mr Kohl is voted out of office, it will be the former communist east that costs him his job. Eight years of economic hardship have overcome the gratitude it felt for unification. Mr Kohl is the last leading international statesman shaped by the turmoil of the Second World War. His obsession with European unity was driven by his desire to make sure the continent never again witnessed such devastation.
Mr Schröder, born in 1944, is not burdened by the Chancellor's personal history and, say political commentators, likely to take a case-by-case approach to foreign policy. The implications for Britain would become clear within months as Germany assumes the European presidency in January. Mr Schröder is likely to join Britain in calling for an overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy, leaving France isolated. But he will push for marked reductions in Germany's contributions to the EU.
Regardless of how Germans vote, Mr Kohl is assured of his place in history. He has led his party for 25 years and his people for 16, steered through unification and championed European integration by means of the single currency. But he will leave behind a country where the toughest decisions may have yet to be taken.
telegraph.co.uk |
