Political 'Opera'

There's hardly a week that goes by in Germany, without some political 'opera-like' event taking place and entertaining Germans.

So around two weekends ago, there was a state-election in Bremen (population 680,000....a major port city along the north coast).  Bremen and Hamburg are unique in German politics...in that they are both a city, and a state. 

The election went in this odd way for results.  For decades, the SPD had easily won first place and put together a government coalition to run the Bremen state government.  Well....in this recent election....the SPD lost (really coming in 2nd place).  The CDU Party (Merkel's party) won with 27-percent.  The CDU folks (led by this guy Meyer-Heder) had two choices for his coalition (to reach 50-percent).

Choice 1: Partner up with the SPD.  Well....they kinda said no.

Choice 2: Partner up with the Greens and FDP.  That talk hasn't gone anywhere.

The choice of a partnership with the AfD and Linke Party?  It'll never happen in a thousand years. 

So it's come out now that the Greens are heavily in talks with the SPD and Linke Party.  The general expectation is that once the CDU has exhausted it's coalition efforts....it'll go to the SPD, and wrap up real quick.

This SPD and Green talk has gotten some folks in Bremen a bit frustrated.  I admit....the CDU didn't exactly get a majority of votes (27-percent isn't that big of a deal).  But the fact that it's all geared up for the number two party and this left-left-left of center coalition to exist.....kinda says something about how German politics is motivated and working. 

Both the CDU and FDP folks are openly criticizing the Greens, but it's ethically and morally without any issue. 

The problem here (if you want to admit it exists).....as both the CDU and SPD grow weaker, and the public that typically votes for them realizes this.....the end-result is that lesser parties having massive influence and more fractured politics end up as the 'norm'.  And if you think this is a game that only involves the left side of politics....you might want to prepare for the AfD eventually gaining more support, or some other weird party appears out of thin-air to identify themselves as 'rightists'.