Schleswig-Holstein: -3.8, Bavaria: -10.5, Hessen: -11.3. These are not degrees Celsius, but the percentage losses of the Christian Union parties at the latest municipal and regional elections.
And the CDU/CSU coalition is not the only one that has suffered such heavy losses, their partners in the grand coalition, the Social Democrats are also in a nosedive, with double-digit losses in many parts of the country. The country’s major political parties are faltering, there losses are becoming permanent and if elections were to be held now they would not garner a majority.
The sky above Berlin is cloudy, political winter has set on and visibility in the corridors of the Bundestag is limited. Hessen – which is not quite the smallest German region – has confirmed the trend and the results there are again raising the question: how long can this go on? How long can Angela Merkel – now serving her 13th year – remain at the helm?
Hessen’s most popular politician happens to be the half-Yemeni Tarek Al-Wazir, whose Green Party yesterday almost doubled its votes. The party is being considered progressive, although the definition of progressive in their case is questionable.
German poster for Wings of Desire
“Tell me of the men, women, and children who will look for me, because they need me more than anything in the world” – the famous quote of the Wim Wenders movie (international title: Wings of Desire) states. But Madam Merkel is extending her protective arms in vain as there are less and less people who want that help. Neither does Hessen, nor Germany, nor the CDU or Europe, for that matter.
This December the CDU will hold its congress and there are growing calls for Merkel’s resignation. I myself wouldn’t bet that by next year’s European elections she will still be in power. 2019, the year of reckoning is coming.
