Manès Weisskircher

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A voter casts a ballot in postal voting center in Mainz, Germany, on March 10. Voters go to the polls on March 14 for state elections in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg)

EuropaUnión Europea,

In September, Germany will hold a general election, which will decide the composition of Germany’s parliament, and, ultimately, its government. But on Sunday, two German states — Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate — will elect their own state legislatures, each of which will then elect state-level governments in turn. These elections may provide some sense of the bigger national trends. Here’s what to look out for.

Coronavirus may not shake up politics as much as you’d think

Sunday’s elections coincide with the first anniversary of Germany’s first covid-19 lockdown. And things haven’t gone too well over the last year — the economy is struggling, the vaccine rollout has been slow, and some federal legislators in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right CDU/CSU camp are facing corruption charges over mask procurement.…  Seguir leyendo »

People hold a banner on Sept. 7, 2018, reading "We are the people" during a march organized by the right-wing populist "Pro Chemnitz" movement in Chemnitz, the flashpoint eastern German city that saw protests marred by neo-Nazi violence. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

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In eastern Germany on Sunday, two populous states (or Bundesländer) will elect their regional legislatures — in votes that are quite important for German politics at large. For months, polls have shown the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) competing for first place both in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, and in Saxony, with Dresden and Leipzig as major cities.

While the AfD has significant support throughout Germany, the party is particularly strong in many of the neue Bundesländer, or new federal states, created in the territory of the former communist German Democratic Republic (GDR). Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s vote.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía,

These days, no one is more negative about the European economy than the Italians. In Sunday’s general elections, here’s how Italy’s hard economic times will likely factor.

A decade after the start of the euro-zone crisis, Italy’s gross domestic product has yet to return to its 2007 level. Unemployment is around 11 percent, while youth unemployment is at a staggering 32 percent. It’s perhaps no surprise that at least 1.5 million Italians have left the country since 2008.

Italy, Europe’s fastest-growing economy between 1950 and 1990, has hardly been growing for two decades. As euro-zone membership does not allow the country to devalue its currency, two economic weaknesses have become particularly obvious:

  1. The reliance on exports like clothing, furniture, and footwear, vulnerable to competition from developing countries.
…  Seguir leyendo »
Election campaign posters of Christian Kern, top candidate of Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPOe), and Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, top candidate of Austrian People’s Party (OeVP), in Vienna in October. (Reuters)

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On Dec. 18, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, a former leader of the Green party, appointed a new right-wing government. The two big winners of the October election — the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP) and the radical right Freedom Party (FPÖ) — have agreed on a common agenda.

Sebastian Kurz, the 31-year-old ÖVP leader, has stepped in as the country’s new head of government – the “chancellor” is the main actor in Austrian politics. His party won 31.5 percent by calling for restricted immigration and limiting support for immigrants, mainly referring to Muslims. This had originally been one of FPÖ’s signature issues.…  Seguir leyendo »

Austrian presidential candidate Alexander Van der Bellen celebrates with supporters at a post-election event in Vienna in 2016. (AFP/Getty Images)

Europa,

In December 2016, Alexander Van der Bellen, a former leader of the Green Party, won Austria’s presidential election. Even though he barely defeated the candidate of the radical right Freedom Party (FPÖ), euphoric observers argued that “Austria stopped right-wing populism in its tracks.”

Austrians again head to the polls on Sunday, this time to elect the Nationalrat (National Council), with 183 seats assigned via proportional representation. Despite Van der Bellen’s victory, restrictive talk on immigration and integration continues to dominate Austrian politics. Even more, the FPÖ looks likely to gain seats, and rejoin the government coalition after more than a decade in opposition.…  Seguir leyendo »