German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) trounced the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) in a state poll in Hesse on Sunday – one year after an inclusive election plunged the state into political turmoil.
Voters in the German state of Hesse began casting ballots on Sunday at the start of a marathon election year expected to propel Chancellor Angela Merkel to a second term.
Germany's fractious coalition will squabble this week over a second boost for the ailing economy, but on Sunday Chancellor Angela Merkel first had to restore harmony among her own conservative allies.
Oskar Lafontaine, populist chairman of Germany's hard-line socialist Left party <i>Die Linke</i>, has reacted belligerently to the centre-left Social Democratic Party's apparent new openness to working together at the state level.
Behind in the polls ahead of next month’s state election, the Social Democratic candidate to become premier of Hesse, Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, on Monday called for Germany’s rich to loan the government money to help combat the economic downturn.
Social Democratic Party Chairman Franz Müntefering on Sunday gave his blessing to controversial state-level coalitions with the hard-line socialist Left party.
A young SPD party member was allegedly beaten and humiliated by police because he looked “Mediterranean,” daily <i>Hamburger Morgenpost</i> reported on Tuesday.
The German government on Wednesday called for an arbitration committee to review a last-minute compromise for a disputed law that gives new powers the Federal Criminal Police (BKA) in the fight against terrorism.
Wolfgang Clement, former economics minister under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, has left the Social Democratic Party after being accused of disloyalty and for what he says is the SPD's flirtation with the post-communist Left Party.
The German state of Hesse dissolved its parliament on Wednesday to make way for new elections after a spectacular rebellion among embattled Social Democrats kept them from forming a ruling coalition.
As Germany comes under pressure to do more to jumpstart the world's third biggest economy, party politics is rearing its ugly head and undermining Berlin's efforts to weather a sharp global slowdown.
Rival political parties in the in the German state of Hesse have agreed to hold a fresh election, possibly in January, after the Social Democratic Party (SPD) failed to form an alliance.
Politicians in Hesse on Tuesday were bracing themselves for fresh elections, one day after rebel Social Democratic MPs torpedoed their party's formation of a centre-left minority government in the German state.
Rebel Social Democrats derailed the formation of a left-wing minority government in the German state of Hesse on Monday amid ongoing opposition to cooperating with the hard-line socialist Left party.
Germany’s Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned anti-nuclear activists against violence when demonstrating against nuclear waste transports taking place this week.
Members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) called on Transportation Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee to resign Saturday over a bonus plan his ministry approved for the board of German railway operator Deutsche Bahn.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier promised tougher regulation of Germany's financial sector as he was formally selected Saturday to run for chancellor against Angela Merkel in next year's election.
The Social Democrats (SPD) on Saturday made Franz Müntefering and Frank-Walter Steinmeier their new leadership tandem to lead the centre-left party into next year’s general election.
Germany’s hard-line socialist Left party on Tuesday named Peter Sodann, a former star of television police drama <i>Tatort</i>, as their candidate for the May 2009 presidential election.
Germany’s government coalition partners the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats (SPD) have agreed on a plan to allow domestic deployment of the German military in an emergency.
The Bavarian state election on Sunday was a black day for the ruling Christian Social Union, but it was a good one for German democracy and ultimately the conservatives themselves, writes <b>The Local’s Marc Young</b>.
The Social Democratic candidate for chancellor next year, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has called on his party to end its divisive debate on the controversial reform package known as Agenda 2010.
Germany's political opposition said on Thursday it believes officials from the country's BND intelligence agency provided crucial information and support to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Bavaria's state premier Günther Beckstein on Tuesday came under fire for saying that driving after drinking two litres of beer at the upcoming Oktoberfest is perfectly acceptable.
