Germans go for centre-right

Last Sunday's election results in Germany gave Angela Merkel another term as Chancellor, this time with a more business-oriented partner in the ruling coalition with the Free Liberals led by Guido Westerwelle, replacing the SDP. The people delivered what Ms Merkel asked for. She had stated clearly during her campaign she wanted Mr Westerwelle and his party and the voters gave her what she wanted. This in itself is a remarkable achievement as the traditional vote gave way to a vote of confidence to a chancellor who, although not as flamboyant as some other European leaders, still exudes confidence and has already proven to be a leader of world stature.

This was a big blow for the SDP, which suffered the worst defeat in the 60 or so years of post-war democratic Germany. Many of those who tried to analyse the defeat are of the opinion that the SDP failed to keep a flowing contact with its constituents and, as a result of this, many of its traditional voters gave their preference to other parties or did not bother to go out and vote at all. The low turn-out is an indication that this may very well be the case.

What was the main reason behind Ms Merkel's success? In my opinion, her policies sold better and the strength of her party's allies in Europe, most notably in France, gave the voters much food for thought and they opted for the safer bet. The CDU and the CSU, which form part of the biggest group in the European Parliament, also have a more open agenda that has attracted a wider spectrum of voters. However, Ms Merkel has already given clear indications that there will not be any radical changes following the end of the unlikely coalition with the SDP. If anything, her new government will be leaning even more to the centre right. As Ms Merkel herself stated, she will not be changing with the colours of the coalition and I have no doubt she will push forward any reforms she wants to push for with her pace and within a time space she determines.

The FDP, however, has obtained the best result since the Kohl era and will be certainly pushing for the reforms like quick tax cuts that have proved so popular in the election campaign and resulted in such a surge in votes. They are also likely to hold key ministries including the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Being the EU's largest economy, Germany is facing a lot of challenges as Europe tries to find its way out of the recession that has hit it for the last couple of years.

The biggest advantage the new coalition has over the previous one is that this time around both parties agree on many of the basic polices such as foreign politics, nuclear energy reform and, most importantly, the budget. It is likely that Germany will push further for lower income tax even if this may be a long-term plan.

As a nation, Germany has gone through changes that only a few countries have experienced in contemporary history. However, the Germans have proved to the world that they were capable of casting the past aside and rising again from the ashes to become a leader in the world economy.

I have worked with Germans from both parties in the new coalition for the past five years in the European Parliament and, even though some are strong headed and express their views in a vociferous way, they are also open to dialogue and to suggestions and we have cooperated many times on various issues.

Ms Merkel has been compared to Margaret Thatcher many times but I think that, in her own subtle way, Ms Merkel is making a name for herself and instilling a distinct way of doing politics that will be emulated by many in the years to come.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

david.casa@europarl.europa.eu, www.davidcasa.eu