Berlin rewards mayor Wowereit, punishes Merkel partner FDP

By Helen Maguire Sep 18, 2011, 18:45 GMT

Berlin - Berlin's Social Democratic Mayor Klaus Wowereit won a third term in office Sunday in regional elections in the German capital - one of Germany's 16 federal states - that dealt a further blow to federal Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition.

The SPD garnered 28.3 per cent - down from 30.8 points in 2006 - followed by federal Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), who gained marginally to win 23.4 per cent, according to official results.

But the Free Democrats (FDP), Merkel's junior government partner, suffered a bitter defeat with just 1.8 per cent of the vote, knocking them out of Berlin's regional parliament - the fifth state in which this has happened in 2011.

The FDP have seen their popularity plummet since entering the federal government with a record 14.6 per cent in 2009, as their intransigence in government and their focus on tax cuts has lost them credibility.

Seeking to end the downward spiral, the FDP replaced the former party leader, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, with Economics Minister Philipp Roesler. He in turn has taken a hardline stance against eurozone bailouts, speculating over a Greek default in an attempt to capture public sentiment.

It appeared Sunday that this strategy had not paid off.

'This dramatic result is both a low point and a wake-up call,' said FDP general secretary Christian Lindner.

Merkel, on the other hand, can draw support from Sunday's election result for her course in Europe, days ahead of a key parliamentary vote in which she seeks approval for eurozone bailout mechanisms agreed in Brussels.

'This is encouragement for the course of the federal CDU and Angela Merkel,' said the CDU's parliamentary leader Peter Altmaier.

But Merkel has to hold together her three-way coalition - including the CDU's Bavarian sibling, the Christian Social Union - for two more years, until federal elections in 2013.

'It is possible that the FDP could stiffen further and break the coalition apart,' said Nils Diderich, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University, adding that the FDP was being very 'self-centered' in pursuing its interests.

In many respects, Berlin bucks the political trend. The city's roughly 2.47 million voters decided mostly on local issues, rather than national ones.

The capital, saddled with debt 20 years after unification, holds a string of unenviable records, with Germany's highest unemployment, at 13.3 per cent, the highest proportion of welfare recipients, low tax income and notorious schools.

Meanwhile, an influx of tourists, foreign investors and well-heeled professionals from Germany and beyond is driving up rents - and social tensions.

In the hours before Sunday's elections, a string of arson attacks resumed on luxury cars parked in trendy neighbourhoods. Police are unsure whether these are politically motivated or sheer vandalism.

Berliners have also been shocked by brutal night-time attacks on passengers in underground stations.

Wowereit arguably did little to address these problems during his 10-year left-of-centre coalition with the Left Party, whose 11.7 per cent was not enough for them to renew the alliance.

Late Sunday, Wowereit said he would seek a coalition with the Greens, who had challenged him as mayor but won a lower-than-expected 17.6 per cent.

However, a so-called red-green coalition would only have a slender majority, leaving open the possibility of an SPD-CDU alliance.

The largest surprise of the night was the Pirate Party, a young party standing on a civil liberty platform, who were on track to receive 8.9 per cent - enabling them to enter a German state parliament for the first time.

Pollsters attributed their success to voter frustrations with the established parties.

Just 10 per cent of those who chose the Pirate Party did so because of their election manifesto, according to polling agency Forschungsgruppe Wahlen. Most others were considered protest votes.