Word: schroeder
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...indecisive election, but Germany finally has a new Chancellor-designate: former physics instructor Angela Merkel, 51, who will be the first woman ever nominated for the post. Merkel will not be officially sworn in until late November, but although talks continue between her conservative Christian Democrat party and Gerhard Schroeder 's center-left Social Democrats on how to form a coalition government, Schroeder's party has now given up its claim to Germany's top post...
...Although they gave up the chancellorship, the Social Democrats will receive eight places in the new cabinet, including the important Foreign and Finance Ministries. Merkel's Christian Democrats will control six spots, including Economics, Defense and Interior. Schroeder's political future is uncertain - he will not serve in the new government and is widely expected to take a job in the private sector once the new government is sworn...
...take the lead. But the Foreign Minister, who will be a Social Democrat, will have a strong voice as well, potentially making this an area of tension for the coalition. The two parties have in recent years differed on such matters as transatlantic relations and ties with Moscow, with Schroeder cultivating a close friendship with Russia's Vladimir Putin and France's Jacques Chirac while Merkel has indicated a desire to work more closely with London and Washington. Relations between the U.S. and Germany deteriorated sharply over the Iraq war, and while Merkel did not back the war, she disapproved...
...While the Socialists joined the Chiraquiens in rejoicing over Merkel's performance, they also have reason for concern over the happenings on the German left as well. After all, their cousins in Schroeder's SPD would have won hands-down if it weren't for the renegade Left party of Oskar Lafontaine and Gregor Gysi, with its roots in the old East Germany ruling party. The French Socialists have been here before, of course: Their candidate Lionel Jospin failed to reach the second round of the 2002 presidential elections because so many traditionally Socialist voters opted for stronger tobacco...
...Stephane´ Rozes, one of France's most astute pollsters. "The good showing of the Left Party represents a real problem for reformers, whether that's Dominique Strauss-Kahn among the Socialists or even Villepin on the center-right. The fact is that even in defending the German Social Model, Schroeder lost three points...