Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Berlin election defeats Merkel but not immigration policy

Recently, Germany had a Berlin state election. The ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU) was beaten, as it could gain only 17.5% of the votes. The Social Democrats (SPD), a central-left party achieved the top share with 21.6% of the vote.


Anti-immigration populists’ Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) got only 14.1%. It was a warning sign according to Michael Müller, the mayor of Berlin, as it will be a herald of the resurrection of Nazi.

The Guardian: Angela Merkel's party suffers slump in Berlin election

In contrast, some people interpret this result as proof that the current policy for immigration by Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany is supported by citizens. Indeed, all other parties than AfD are accepting immigration to some extent.

International Business Times: Despite losses in Berlin most Germans still agree with Angela Merkel about refugees

Although Volkswagen made a massive misconduct about the emission of their products last year, Germany has still a dominative power in the EU. Its economy is so strong that it does not rely on sovereign bond for managing annual finance the last year.

My past entry: Volkswagen emission scandal

As a foreigner, I believe German people are proud of a member of the EU, and are willing to take a crucial role for peaceful and sustainable European society. I respect such attitude of German people. At the same time, its responsibility is rapidly expanding, due to the unstable situation in the Middle East and Brexit. It is of my concern.

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