German MPs vote no confidence in Schroeder's govt

Germany’s parliament voted no confidence in Gerhard Schroeder’s government at the chancellor’s own request today, setting the stage for new elections amid economic sluggishness and growing discontent.

Schroeder told the MPs that he needed a new mandate to govern after a series of defeats in regional elections – but conservative opposition leader Angela Merkel branded him unable to govern after years of high unemployment and slow economic growth.

With many of Schroeder’s Social Democrats abstaining, only 151 legislators voted in favour of keeping the governing coalition of Social Democrats and Greens in power – well short of the 301 votes it would have needed to survive.

There were 296 ‘no’ votes and 148 abstentions in the 601-seat Bundestag.

Under Germany’s constitution, President Horst Koehler now has 21 days to decide whether to accept the result, dissolve parliament and call an election, which would probably be held on September 18. However – in one of the few situations where the largely figurehead president can wield decisive influence - he has the right to reject the vote and ask Schroeder to continue in power.

“Without a new mandate my political programme cannot be carried forward,” Schroeder said during the debate. His party trails badly in the polls and has suffered a series of defeats in local elections, but he vowed to win back voter support “to continue what has been begun”.

Opposition leader Angela Merkel, seeking to become Germany’s first female chancellor, took the podium to attack Schroeder’s economic record, saying she “welcomed” the prospect of a battle at the polls.

“Mr Chancellor, this will naturally be an election about the country’s direction, an election with the question, will politics go on as usual, or will there be policies that move Germany ahead?” she said.

She said the current Social Democratic-Greens coalition “cannot govern”.

With Merkel’s Christian Democrats ahead by some 17% in the polls, an early election holds out the prospect of shaking up Europe’s biggest economy and a European Union already in crisis over the rejection of a draft constitution by French and Dutch voters.