So apparently Merkel's party, described as center right, won the plurality but it was their worst showing in decades. They won a plurality last time and had to form a coalition with the center left party. After this election, the far left party also tanked and has decided to pull out of the coalition. The far right nationalist party got 3rd in plurality and is making significant waves as they are entering parliament for the first time in decades.

So Merkel is likely going to have to form a coalition government with the 4th place party pro business center right party who is also making a parliamentary comeback and the 5th place center left pro environment party.

Center of course having a much different meaning in Europe

5 parties?

And we are stuck with 2. Five seems like a lot though.

It's hard enough to govern under a coalition gov't but this particular coalition, on paper, looks like a recipe for disaster

I'd love to see us have a few more parties. Crazy we have 2 and they don't even represent the majority of Americans.

(09-25-2017 12:36 PM)solohawks Wrote:  It's hard enough to govern under a coalition gov't but this particular coalition, on paper, looks like a recipe for disaster

Yep. Our system certainly has it's problem, primarily (no pun intended) the barriers to entry largely manufactured by the two corporate-party system.

But something like this? No thanks. Sounds like no governing at all.

And it's not like we're devoid of "3rd" party's running around here, they just can't get anywhere for a variety of reasons.

Most recently "Aleppo".

(09-24-2017 08:21 PM)solohawks Wrote:  So apparently Merkel's party, described as center right, won the plurality but it was their worst showing in decades.

True. I'm not sure about # of seats in the Bundestag, but as a % of the overall parliamentary vote, it was the CDU's worst since 1949.