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POLITICS

One in six German voters regrets voting decision

Less than six weeks after giving Chancellor Angela Merkel another term in office, a new survey says one in six German voters regrets their decision on September 27 and would now pick a different party.

One in six German voters regrets voting decision
A file photo of workers removing election posters. Photo: DPA

The poll, to be published Sunday in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, says 16 percent of respondents regretted their vote. Merkel’s Christian Democrats were returned to power in a new centre-right coalition with the pro-market Free Democratic Party, led by Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

The voter unease with the new government is striking as the union between the CDU and their Bavarian allies in the CSU drew its lowest result since 1949, with only a 33.8 percent share of the vote. The FDP however, received its highest level of support ever with 14.6 percent of voters choosing the party. The election campaign was widely derided by the media as one of Germany’s most boring ever and voter apathy was widespread, with just 70.8 percent showing up to cast a ballot, a record low in modern German history.

Signs of discord in the new coalition are already evident, as CDU Finance Minster Wolgang Schäuble has publicly questioned whether the government will be able to carry through with the €24 billion worth of tax cuts it has promised. Large tax cuts were the signature piece of the FDP’s election platform.

As Germany prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, voters in the former East Germany are especially regretful of the decisions. 28 percent of eastern German voters told pollsters from the Emnid research firm that they would have voted differently. Western German voters were more content with decision, just 13 percent said they would vote for a different party today.

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POLITICS

Germany’s Scholz rejects calls for later retirement in Labour Day message

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has rejected calls for later retirement in a video message for Labour Day published on Wednesday.

Germany's Scholz rejects calls for later retirement in Labour Day message

“For me, it is a question of decency not to deny those who have worked for a long time the retirement they deserve,” said Scholz.

Employees in Germany worked more hours in 2023 than ever before: “That’s why it annoys me when some people talk disparagingly about ‘Germany’s theme park’ – or when people call for raising the retirement age,” he said.

Scholz also warned of creating uncertainty due to new debates about the retirement age. “Younger people who are just starting out in their working lives also have the right to know how long they have to work,” he said.

Scholz did not explicitly say who the criticism was targeted at, but at its party conference last weekend, the coalition partner FDP called for the abolition of pensions at 63 for those with long-term insurance, angering its government partners SPD and the Greens.

Scholz saw the introduction of the minimum wage nine years ago – and its increase to twelve euros per hour by his government – as a “great success”. “The proportion of poorly paid jobs in our country has shrunk as a result,” he said.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Is it worthwhile to set up a private pension plan in Germany?

However, he said there were still too many people “who work hard for too little money,” highlighting the additional support available through housing benefit, child allowance and the reduction of social security contributions for low earners.

“Good collective wage agreements also ensure that many employees finally have more money in their pockets again,” he added. 

And he said that the country wouldn’t “run out of work” in the coming years.

“On the contrary! We need more workers,” he said, explaining that that’s why his government is ensuring “that those who fled to us from Russia’s war in Ukraine get work more quickly.”

Work means “more than making money,” said Scholz. “Work also means: belonging, having colleagues, experiencing recognition and appreciation.”

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