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As Merkel steps down, squabbles over Cabinet berths to delay new coalition

Going by the volume of bouquets Chancellor Angela Merkel is receiving, the last 16 years have been the golden age of Germany as Europe's best practising democracy and the largest economy. She ruled like the primus inter pares among the titans, navigating the world through many a crisis like the great global meltdown, and is set to surpass Helmut Kohl as the longest serving Chancellor if she stays beyond December 17 as caretaker. At the personal level, Merkel has always been cheerful, dynamic, determined and totally fearless (only exception being dogs!), come what may! She is stepping down. And it's curtains for the glorious era of the Germans!

Election has been conducted; in a close vote no party getting absolute majority as it always happens, leading to coalition Governments. This time a Third World type of bargaining by parties is on to corner plum portfolios as price for partnership. A "traffic light" Government is not totally ruled out, leaving behind the "black" Conservatives - FDP bargaining for Finance and the Greens for Foreign affairs in plausible alignments.

BERLIN, Sept 29: After 16 years in power as the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is calling it quits as her current term is ending by Christmas. Her Conservative party's candidate to succeed her has lost the election held last Sunday to be the first-placed, leading party. A new coalition is in the works, to take over from the outgoing 'grand coalition' of Merkel by December.

The Conservative CDU's Armin Laschet's gaffes during the campaign, especially his visit to the flood-ravaged regions recently where he was seen smiling amidst the scenes of death and devastation, denuded much of the support of the Conservatives. They got just 24.1% of the votes against a squabbling coalition partner SPD's 25.7%. Besides, the feckless Laschet is facing intra-party rumblings. Some have asked him to quit. On the contrary, Bavarian sister party CSU's chief Markus Söder is a widely popular leader.

The breakup of the result is: SPD 206, CDU-CSU 196, Greens 118, FDP 92, AfD 8, Linke 39, SSW 13 and others. Total number of seats at present is 735.

In the election to the Bundestag, the Lower House of parliament, there were 60 million Germans eligible to vote. The voting pattern is unique in the sense that a voter has two votes and he votes for an MP as well as a party and the number of seats varies in a very strange seat allocation in the final tally that makes it all an intricate affair exclusive to Germany.

The party winning largest number of seats usually forms the Federal Government, in coalition if it does not have absolute majority leading to hard bargaining for prestigious and more powerful slots in the Cabinet. Although German democracy is the most flourishing in Europe. A second-placed party forming a coalition Government has been a very rare occurrence in German history (1976 and 1980: Chancellor Helmut Schmidt).

Currently the parties have to sort out their hard positions on hot issues like climate change and taxes. Anyway, a return of Merkel's 'Grand Alliance' of squabbling partners (SPD and CDU) stands no chance. This outgoing alliance is composed of Merkel's CDU, its sister party CSU and arch enemy SPD.

The latest take on a likely protracted Government-making process is that the SPD announced on Tuesday that they plan to talk to the Greens and FDP later this week.

The parties:

  • Christian Democratic Union (CDU) (party colour: black) (centre centre-right) is Merkel's Conservative party. Armin Laschet is its candidate. The Christian Social Union (CSU) of Bavaria is its sister party.
  • Christian Social Union (CSU) (party colour: blue) (centre-right) of Bavaria led by chief Markus Söder is sister party to CDU).
  • Social Democratic Party (SPD) (party colour: red) (centre-left) has been in coalition with the Conservatives. Its leader Olaf Scholz is Germany's Finance Minister and the candidate fighting Armin Laschet for the top slot.
  • Greens (Grune) (party colour: green) (centre-left): The left-wing party focuses on social justice and climate. Its leader is Annalena Baerbock. It has not been in coalitions.
  • Free Democratic Party (FDP) (party colour: yellow) (centre centre- right) Liberal and business-friendly
  • Die Linke (Die) (party colour: purple) (far left)
  • Alternative for Germany (AfD): (party colour: light blue) (far-right)
  • South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW): (centre)

An opinion poll done before the election had shown 56% Germans wanted Olaf Scholz to be Chancellor, while a mere 11% preferred Laschet.

Olaf Scholz, who won the election as the first-placed in voting, believes he will get the support of the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats to form a three-way "traffic light" Government. (The partners' party colours put together looks like traffic light. So also other combinations have acquired different popular names like a CDU-led alliance with the Greens and the Liberals is labeled a “Jamaica” coalition as the party colours of black, green and yellow is that country’s flag.)

Meanwhile, tributes to Merkel are pouring in in abundance. Her exit brings down the curtain on a dynamic era in European politics and economics post-War. She has been described as a manager of problems, problem-solver, trouble-shooter, respectful, strong and compassionate at the same time. Always displayed a noticeable sense of humour in-built.

Endowed with a political skill that brought world leaders around, she was determined and smart, always cheerful. Merkel has worked like first among equals with five British Prime Ministers, four French Presidents, seven Italian Prime Ministers, four American Presidents and the Russian President.

Germany's youngest Chancellor, she took hard decisions. She has made a beginning to make Germany nuclear-free, taking lessons from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The first female Chancellor, Merkel steps down.

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The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.

The irony lies in her illustration of her experiences in the country she has been living in for the last four years. What it really is!

ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!

The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

  • The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
  • The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
  • The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

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