Berlin
The party of German leader Gerhard Schröder lost hugely in two state elections this week, in what the chancellor called “one of the most bitter defeats I have known.” Schröder’s Social Democrats lost dozens of seats in Hesse and in his home state of Lower Saxony to the center-right Christian Democrats. The chancellor was narrowly re-elected four months ago on a platform of opposition to the war in Iraq, but his popularity has been plummeting—along with the economy—ever since. German unemployment stands at 8.5 percent, and Schröder has already broken his campaign promise not to raise taxes. “If this doesn’t make the government realize that the economy needs a jump-start,” said Saxony opposition lawmaker Christian Wulff, “then it’s really beyond help.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 contentious cartoons about Matt Gaetz's AG nominationCartoons Artists take on ethical uncertainty, offensive justice, and more
-
Funeral in Berlin: Scholz pulls the plug on his coalitionTalking Point In the midst of Germany's economic crisis, the 'traffic-light' coalition comes to a 'ignoble end'
-
Joe Biden's legacy: economically strong, politically disastrousIn Depth The President boosted industry and employment, but 'Bidenomics' proved ineffective to winning the elections
