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Germany's SPD fare worse than expected in European vote
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 07 - 06 - 2009


Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) fared worse than
expected in Sunday's European elections, achieving just over 21 per
cent of the vote, according to projections based on interim results, dpa reported.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's alliance of Christian Democrats
and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) achieved an estimated 38.3-38.4
per cent, as predicted.
Voter turnout scraped the 42-per-cent mark, continuing a downward
trend after 43 per cent voted in the European polls in 2004.
For the SPD, Sunday's result will undoubtedly prompt searching
questions ahead of September's general election, in which both CDU
and SPD have hoped to seek new alternatives to their current
government coalition.
"It is a disappointing result, there is no other way of putting
it," said German Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the SPD,
adding that he had expected a different result.
However, he warned against drawing conclusions ahead of
September's general election.
The SPD had been expected to improve on its historic low of 21.5
per cent in the last European elections held in 2004, when internal
party politics had led to deep unpopularity.
The CDU/CSU alliance remained in the lead Sunday, despite a
6-per-cent drop over 2004, confirming advance expectations.
Sunday's main beneficiaries were the Free Democrats, who saw their
share of the vote rise from 6.1 per cent to more than 10 per cent,
according to interim results.
The Greens achieved around 12 per cent of the vote, in line with
their previous share of seats in Europe. The Left Party experienced a
marginal increase, to more than 7 per cent.
The CSU, standing in Bavaria alone, had no problems clearing the
national 5-per-cent hurdle for representation in Europe.
Germany, the most populous state in the European Union, is
apportioned 99 of the seats in the European Parliament.


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