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geändert / updated: 17/04/08

 

 ... unabhängige Analysen für die globale Polis ...

(Earthquake; 01-03; p.4)

Perspectives

To avoid jumping to conclusions and "minute-to-minute politics", one should bear in mind that the elections took place on the Länder's level and at the beginning of the federal legislative term.
Representatives elected in Lower Saxony stand for about 8.0 millions of inhabitants, Representatives in Hesse for about 6.1 millions of inhabitants. So, the developments acknowledged are grounded on about 17 percent of all inhabitants of Germany. - That is certainly not a share to ignore, but is also not a share, the majority has to follow.

Since Germany is a federal republic, there is the federal parliament, the "Bundestag" and an upper chamber or Senate, called the "Bundesrat". States ruled by CDU-led governments had already a majority within the Bundesrat which by now has become larger.
Proposals affecting the Länder have to pass the Bundesrat. Therefore, proposals of the federal government - consisting of a SPD-Greens coalition - could be disapproved by a CDU-dominated Bundesrat more easily. If this is a line that voters will appreciate for the rest of federal legislative term, is arguable. At any rate, it will prove very difficult to complain about "reform-unwillingness" while being the constant cause of un-passed laws.

The federal government in turn could try to declare most proposals as not affecting the Länder, so in a way by-passing the Bundesrat. - Since courts in Germany may not reject questions as political - as is possible e.g. in the US - such a tactic will surely not lead to laws but a lot of lawsuits.

What is needed therefore is that delegates in the Bundesrat consider themselves mainly as representatives of their state, not their party, and that in a common effort proposals are brought about in the Bundestag's committees which have a chance to be approved by the Bundesrat.
- Merely creating some government's commissions, some opposition's commissions and thereafter probably some super-commissions however, will hardly initiate structural changes.

(end of article)

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 © Michael Gerke

 
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