GERMANY: FAR RIGHT PARTIES EXPECTED TO DO WELL AS VOTING BEGINS IN TWO GERMAN STATES

Record ID: 584789

  • Title: GERMANY: FAR RIGHT PARTIES EXPECTED TO DO WELL AS VOTING BEGINS IN TWO GERMAN STATES
  • Date: 19th September 2004
  • Summary: (W5) WEISSKEISEL, SAXONY, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV GROUP OF WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL SORBIAN DRESS WALKING INTO A POLLING STATION 0.12 2. CLOSE OF SIGN FOR POLLING STATION IN GERMAN AND SORBIAN LANGUAGE 0.16 3. SLV WOMAN IN TRADITIONAL SORBIAN DRESS VOTING 0.25 4. SLV WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL SORBIAN DRESS WAITING FOR THEIR VOTING PAPERS 0.29 5. SLV WOMAN IN TRADITIONAL SORBIAN DRESS VOTING 0.40 (W5) KLEINMACHNOW, BRANDENBURG, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 7. CLOSE OF WOMAN SORTING OUT ELECTION LISTS 0.44 8. PAN TO JOERG SHOENBOHM, CANDIDATE FOR THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION (CDU) IN THE STATE ELECTIONS IN BRANDENBURG 0.51 9. SCU SCHOENBOHM 0.59 10. VARIOUS OF SCHOENBOHM COLLECTING HIS BALLOT PAPERS 1.12 11. VARIOUS OF SCHOENBOHM VOTING AND WALKING OUT OF PICTURE 1.34 12. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (German) SCHOENBOHM SAYING: "The PDS (the Party of Democratic Socialism, successors to the Communist party which ruled the former East Germany) is acting as an agitator. The PDS has increased the worries and the fears of the population by leading an election campaign with the motto 'the Hartz IV reform must go'. On the other hand on the right side of the spectrum" the DVU (the nationalist German Peoples Union) are claiming we had enough, 'Hartz IV must go', and so it has been like a military pincer action from the left and from the right." 2.03 (W5) POTSDAM, BRANDENBURG, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 13. SLV THE CANDIDATE FOR THE RULING SPD PARTY (SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY) MATTHIAS PLATZECK WALKING TOWARDS THE POLLING STATION 2.08 14. VARIOUS OF PLATZECK RECEIVING HIS BALLOT PAPERS IN THE POLLING STATION 2.20 15. VARIOUS OF PLATZECK VOTING AND WALKING OUT OF PICTURE 2.44 16. SCU SOUNDBITE (German) PLATZECK SAYING: "I hope that many people recognise that today is not about electing a new government in Berlin (the German capital), but that it is about the future of Brandenburg." 2.51 17. SCU CAMERAMAN 2.55 (W5) KLINGA, SAXONY, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 18. VARIOUS OF PDS (THE PARTY OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM, SUCCESSORS TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY WHICH RULED THE FORMER EAST GERMANY) CANDIDATE FOR SAXONY, PETER PORSCH GETTING HIS BALLOT PAPERS AND WALKING TO POLLING BOOTH 3.04 19. VARIOUS OF PORSCH VOTING AND WALKING OUT OF PICTURE 3.23 (W5) ROHNE, SAXONY, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 20. SLV SPD CANDIDATE THOMAS JURK COLLECTING HIS BALLOT PAPERS AND GOING INTO VOTING BOOTH 3.36 22. WIDE OF WOMAN VOTING 3.41 23. WIDE OF JURK VOTING, SHAKING HANDS WITH THE OFFICIAL AND WALKING OUT 3.49 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 4th October 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, BRANDENBURG AND SAXONY, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YIYLRY9XKJITL5480E0D4OHF
  • Story Text: Voting has begun in two German states, where
    far-right parties are expected to profit from a protest
    vote against the German government.




    Germany's far-right parties are expected to profit
    from discontent over Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's welfare
    cuts in elections in two eastern states on Sunday
    (September 19), which observers fear will damage the country's
    image.

    The German government's plans to reduce unemployment
    benefits and force the long-term unemployed to accept
    available work, backed by opposition conservatives, have
    sparked mass demonstrations.

    Far-right parties and the Party of Democratic Socialism
    (PDS), successors to the communist party that ruled East
    Germany, have seized on voter anger.

    The National Democratic Party (NPD), a group the
    government has likened to Hitler's embryonic Nazis and
    tried to outlaw, is expected to win just under 10 percent
    of the vote in Saxony. It would be the far-rights greatest
    success in six years.

    In Brandenburg, the far-right German People's Union
    (DVU) is also forecast to gain the five percent required to
    retain the parliamentary seats it won in the last election.

    Neither party has realistic hopes of sharing power, but
    observers fear a shift to extremist views and damage to
    Germany's image abroad.

    The NPDs programme, for example, talks of
    multi-cultural excesses and the need to revise Germany's
    borders, although their posters mainly seek to appeal to
    those tired of Schroeder's politics.

    Local chambers of commerce say they fear the NPD's rise
    could deter future foreign investment in Saxony, the
    Silicon Valley of Germany and the site of some major car
    plants.

    The possible gains of the political fringes would
    undoubtedly provide a further jolt to the centrist parties
    and particularly to Schroeder's Social Democrats, who have
    borne the brunt of voter fury in recent elections.

    Schroeder can do little more than insist his party is
    not for turning and he has indeed gone more on the
    offensive in recent days, amid signs his party's slump has
    bottomed out. The party could yet retain a share of power
    in Brandenburg.


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