Germany edition

Spd

The following articles have been tagged with "Spd":

Merkel helps boost conservatives' popularity

Politics: 8 Feb 12
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are flying high in a new opinion poll showing them garnering their best result since her beleaguered coalition took power in 2009. Germans are also more confident the euro crisis can be beat. READ »

Politician slammed for remarks on Sharia courts

Politics: 4 Feb 12
The justice minister in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has sparked outrage after proposing that Germany could permit Sharia courts, which operate according to Islamic law, to preside over some civil cases in the country. READ »

Europe’s German agenda

Analysis & Opinion: 3 Feb 12
The economy in shambles, angry street protests, and the government on the brink after passing unpopular reforms. But this is not Greece in 2012 – it was Germany a decade ago. Marc Young looks back to see an agenda for the future. READ »

Leftists suggest legal cannabis clubs

Politics: 25 Jan 12
Germany’s socialist Left party is calling an expert hearing on “legalizing cannabis through the introduction of cannabis clubs” in the German parliament on Wednesday. The idea has met widespread rejection. READ »

Spying on leftist MPs condemned

Politics: 24 Jan 12
Politicians from across Germany’s main political parties have condemned the domestic intelligence agency, or Verfassungsschutz, for spying on parliamentarians from the socialist Left party. READ »

Fiery German heads European Parliament

Politics: 17 Jan 12
Fiery German socialist Martin Schulz was elected president of the European Parliament on Tuesday, replacing outgoing conservative former Polish premier Jerzy Buzek. READ »

Ex-Chancellor Schröder's wife enters politics

Politics: 9 Jan 12
The wife of former Chancellor Gehard Schröder will enter politics in her own right, it was reported on Monday – she intends to run for a seat in the Lower Saxony state parliament in the 2013 state election. READ »

Merkel under pressure in president scandal

Politics: 8 Jan 12
Germany's main opposition party increased its pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel over President Christian Wulff, saying his scandal was hers and calling for new elections if he were to step down. READ »

Merkel backs embattled President Wulff

National: 6 Jan 12
After several weeks of silence during her annual winter break, Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out in support of embattled German President Christian Wulff. READ »

Most Germans don't want president to resign

National: 26 Dec 11
Most Germans do not want President Christian Wulff to resign despite the continuing scandal over his business dealings, although roughly half have lost confidence in the head of state, according to a new poll. READ »

Popularity for FDP plummets further

Politics: 21 Dec 11
Support for Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) has slumped to a dismal two percent in the wake a high-profile resignation, according to an opinion poll released on Wednesday. READ »

Wulff faces increasing attacks from all sides

Politics: 18 Dec 11
President Christian Wulff is coming under increased attacks from across the political spectrum, as politicians feel Germany's head of state has not fully explained a 2008 loan he received while serving as premier of Lower Saxony. READ »

Most Germans won't go to church this Christmas

Society: 18 Dec 11
Most Germans do not plan to go to church over the Christmas holidays, a poll from TNS-Emnid research institute, conducted for the news magazine Focus showed. READ »

Afghanistan troop withdrawl to begin in Jan

National: 17 Dec 11
The withdrawl of German troops from Afghanistan will not take place before Christmas and won’t be accompanied by a celebration, according to German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière. READ »

Berlin hails 'turning point' in Afghan war

National: 15 Dec 11
During a Bundestag debate on the German army’s future mission in Afghanistan Thursday, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said a planned draw-down of troops heralded a “turning point” in the ten-year NATO-led war in Afghanistan. READ »

Scorn for 'Googleberg’s' new EU internet role

Science & Technology: 13 Dec 11
Former German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who was dubbed Dr. Googleberg when caught plagiarizing his PhD thesis, has been appointed EU advisor on internet freedom, inviting much derision. READ »

Berlin minister resigns after 11 days in office

Politics: 12 Dec 11
Berlin’s newly sworn-in Justice and Consumer Affairs Minister Michael Braun has been forced to step down following revelations about bad property deals during his previous job as notary. READ »

SPD puts off picking chancellor candidate

Politics: 5 Dec 11
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has sentenced itself to another year of unofficial wrangling for the top job of challenging Chancellor Angela Merkel in the 2013 election. READ »

Steinbrück rules out new grand coalition

Politics: 4 Dec 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, a leading member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), has categorically ruled out entering a new grand coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ »

City of Berlin gets 'grand coalition' government

Politics: 16 Nov 11
A left-right coalition is taking shape in the city state of Berlin, after the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats agreed to form a government in Germany's capital on Wednesday. READ »

Former Left head Lafontaine admits relationship

National: 13 Nov 11
The former head of the socialist Left Party Oskar Lafontaine has confirmed that he is in a relationship with Sahra Wagenknecht, a prominent representative of the left-wing of the party. READ »

Effort to ease dual citizenship fails

National: 10 Nov 11
Germany's left-wing opposition failed on Thursday to convince parliament that children born to foreign parents should be able to keep dual citizenship beyond 23, after Chancellor Merkel's centre-right coalition torpedoed the measure. READ »

Gabriel demands G20 set new economic course

Politics: 3 Nov 11
Sigmar Gabriel, head of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, has joined two other centre-left European leaders, Britain’s Ed Miliband and Sweden’s Hakan Juholt, ahead of the G20 summit to call for a "New Deal" for the world economy. READ »

‘If the CDU loses in 2013, it will lose its identity’

Analysis & Opinion: 31 Oct 11
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives performed a dramatic U-turn this weekend by proposing a minimum wage in Germany. The Local’s media roundup explores the cause and implications of her party's leftward swerve. READ »

SPD calls for bank split

Business & Money: 17 Oct 11
Social Democratic Party (SPD) head Sigmar Gabriel has called for a permanent division of investment and commercial banking to protect consumers from toxic debts run up by banks. The German government quickly rejected the idea. READ »

Greens plan to raise taxes for top earners

Politics: 15 Oct 11
The Green party has joined the Social Democrats (SPD) in adopting a higher tax policy for top earners. If a Green-SPD centre-left coalition came to power in Germany, the top rate of income tax could rise from 42 to 49 percent. READ »

Officials urge calm as more firebombs found

National: 13 Oct 11
As further makeshift incendiary devices were found on Berlin’s rail network on Thursday, German officials disagreed on whether they represented a new dimension of violence by leftist extremists. READ »

Berlin considers banning Hells Angels

Society: 11 Oct 11
Representatives across all major parties in the newly-elected state parliament of Berlin have spoken out in favour of banning the Hells Angels, a motorcycle gang linked with organized crime, in the German capital. READ »

Support for Pirate Party surges nationwide

Politics: 9 Oct 11
Just weeks after the Pirate Party’s surprising success in the Berlin state election, support for the upstart political outfit has surged to nine percent in a new national poll. READ »

SPD and Greens drop Berlin government talks

Politics: 5 Oct 11
Talks between the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens on forming a coalition to govern Berlin collapsed on Wednesday – over disagreement over a three-kilometre stretch of motorway. READ »

Özdemir says Greens must not rule out governing with conservatives

Politics: 1 Oct 11
While negotiations continue on forming a state government with the Social Democratic Party in Berlin the Greens have become embroiled in a public dispute about potential coalition partners. READ »

Survey shows Pirates sailing full speed ahead

Politics: 28 Sep 11
After their surprise success in Berlin’s state election, Germany’s Pirate Party has started to navigate national interest as well. According to a survey published Wednesday, the Pirates have captured seven percent of the electorate. READ »

Government throws spanner in SPD/Green Berlin coalition talks

Society: 27 Sep 11
The German Transport Ministry said Tuesday that federal investment in Berlin’s controversial A100 motorway could not be moved to another project, hampering coalition negotiations between Mayor Klaus Wowereit and the Greens. READ »

SPD and Greens see coalition hope in Berlin

Politics: 24 Sep 11
Nearly a week after the Berlin state election and hours of talks, all the indications point towards the incumbent Social Democrats (SPD) forming a coalition with the Greens. READ »

Most Germans oppose increased euro bail-out

Business & Money: 23 Sep 11
As their politicians prepare for next Thursday’s parliamentary vote on extending the euro rescue fund, a survey has found that a clear majority of Germans do not want them to decide in favour. READ »

Most Germans unhappy with squabbling government coalition

Politics: 21 Sep 11
Germans are unhappy with the government, with a full 83 percent saying they are dissatisfied by the poor cooperation between the parties of the governing centre-right coalition according to a poll. READ »

Pirates shake up German political landscape

Analysis & Opinion: 19 Sep 11
Free wireless internet and public transport; voting rights for over-14s: just some of the policies of the Pirate Party, which Sunday spectacularly won its first seats in a German state parliament. READ »

SPD wins Berlin vote as Pirates celebrate

Politics: 18 Sep 11
The centre-left Social Democrats won Berlin’s state election on Sunday, setting up a likely coalition with the Greens. The upstart Pirate Party sailed easily into parliament. READ »

Berliners look leftwards as Pirates set sail

Politics: 16 Sep 11
Berliners go to the polls on Sunday, with indications they will re-elect Social Democratic Mayor Klaus Wowereit yet force him to ditch coalition partners The Left for the Greens. The Pirate Party might also sail into parliament. READ »

'It has more potential - Berlin can do more'

Politics: 15 Sep 11
Renate Künast is hoping to be elected the first Green mayor of Berlin on Sunday. The Local's friends at English-language magazine Exberliner spoke to her about her priorities for the German capital. READ »

Social Democrats gain support amid euro crisis

Politics: 14 Sep 11
Popular support for the Social Democratic Party is at its highest level since 2008, reaching 29 percent, according to the latest Stern-RTL survey. READ »

'Berlin is change, Berlin is the place to be'

Politics: 13 Sep 11
As Berliners prepare to go to the polls this Sunday, The Local spoke with Mayor Klaus Wowereit about his re-election campaign and his priorities for the German capital. READ »

MPs to boycott Pope's Bundestag speech

National: 13 Sep 11
As preparations are finalised for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany at the end of the month, a number of MPs have declared they will boycott his speech to parliament. READ »

Former Stasi workers to be banned from archive

National: 12 Sep 11
The German government has taken a step forward in its move to ban former employees of communist East Germany's Ministry for State Security, or Stasi, from working in the authority that administers the archive of Stasi files. READ »

'Something is deeply wrong when the NPD is more successful than the FDP'

Analysis & Opinion: 5 Sep 11
Is Chancellor Merkel’s centre-right alliance heading towards political oblivion? Commentators in The Local’s media roundup examine the impact of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania vote. READ »

SPD wins Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania vote

Politics: 4 Sep 11
The governing centre-left Social Democrats on Sunday trounced Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in her home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The SPD now has a choice of coalition partners. READ »

Northeastern state election gets underway

Politics: 4 Sep 11
Voters go to the polls in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's home state Sunday, with surveys showing her conservatives are likely to cling on to power after a campaign dominated by the euro debt crisis. READ »

Merkel campaigns to the last in north-east

Politics: 2 Sep 11
Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) hopes to turn the page on a string of electoral defeats in a poll in the north-eastern German state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday. READ »

Schleswig-Holstein CDU unveils new leadership

Politics: 18 Aug 11
Just nine months before the state election, the Christian Democratic Union in Schleswig-Holstein has decided on a new leadership duo after the party leader and top candidate resigned over a love affair with a teenager. READ »

Social Democrats warn leftists after Wall praise

Politics: 16 Aug 11
Germany's centre-left Social Democrats have warned members of the hard-line socialist Left party they would be rejected as state coalition partners unless they condemn the building of the Berlin Wall. READ »

Kramp-Karrenbauer elected Saarland premier

National: 10 Aug 11
The small industrial state of Saarland has a new premier after Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was elected on Wednesday to lead the unwieldy coalition government. READ »

Friedrich's call to identify bloggers meets broad resistance

Science & Technology: 8 Aug 11
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich’s call to end anonymity for internet bloggers in the wake of the Norway massacre has been slammed by the opposition and even the conservatives’ coalition partners, the Free Democrats. READ »

Interior Ministry to probe ban of far-right NPD

Politics: 5 Aug 11
Discussions surrounding a possible ban of Germany's neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) have taken a major step forward after the Interior Ministry agreed to participate in a working group to look into the matter. READ »

Leadership troika helps SPD recover support

Politics: 3 Aug 11
Germany's centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) appears to be pulling itself out of the political doldrums with a new three-man leadership troika, according to a poll published on Wednesday. READ »

Social Democratic leader pushes for far-right party ban

National: 31 Jul 11
The head of Germany's Social Democrats, Sigmar Gabriel, is calling for a ban on the country's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD). He has a majority of Germans on his side, but fewer politicians. READ »

Greens revive calls for gay marriage

Politics: 29 Jul 11
The opposition Greens have re-opened the issue of gay marriage in Germany, calling for same-sex partners to have the same rights under the law as heterosexual couples. READ »

FDP wallows at record low despite shakeup

Politics: 27 Jul 11
Philipp Rösler's leadership of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) has failed to lift the party's fortunes, with a new poll showing support sinking back to a record low of 3 percent. READ »

Norway killings spark debate on surveillance

National: 26 Jul 11
A major German police union has called on internet users to help law enforcement prevent tragedies such as the Norway massacre by reporting violent extremist views expressed on blogs and web forums. READ »

Norway killer considered Merkel a target

National: 25 Jul 11
The man responsible for killing nearly 100 people in Norway saw German politicians as possible murder targets, including Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ »

SPD politician calls for 'no politics' day

Politics: 23 Jul 11
Andrea Nahles, general secretary of the Social Democratic Party, and new mother, has called on German politicians to take "one day off politics" every week. READ »

Speculation mounts for Steinbrück comeback

Politics: 17 Jul 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has apparently returned to leadership discussions in the Social Democratic Party, heating speculation that he could be the party's chancellor candidate in the 2013 election. READ »

Merkel to stand for chancellor in 2013

Politics: 9 Jul 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel intends to run for a third mandate in 2013 elections, she said on television on Saturday. READ »

De Maizière rejects Saudi tank deal criticism

National: 9 Jul 11
The German government has yet to confirm a controversial tank deal with Saudi Arabia, but Berlin is on the defensive, with Chancellor Merkel and Defence Minister de Maizière emphasising the Arab kingdom's "stabilising" role. READ »

Only half of Germans want tax cuts

Business & Money: 8 Jul 11
In a sign of Germans’ financial priorities, just half of voters favour tax cuts right now and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble – a noted tax cut sceptic – has rocketed to become the most popular politician in the country. READ »

Coalition agrees to tax cuts in 2013

Business & Money: 4 Jul 11
After weeks of disagreement, Germany’s center-right government has agreed on cuts to taxes and social security contributions, although full details are to become known later this year. READ »

SPD's Steinmeier won't rule out early elections

Politics: 2 Jul 11
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentary leader and former chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier says he is no longer ruling out early elections in Germany. READ »

Former Merkel advisor's tax plan unfair, CSU says

Business & Money: 29 Jun 11
A radical tax reform plan by a former advisor of Chancellor Angela Merkel has been dismissed as unfair by her conservative coalition partners the Christian Social Union. READ »

Politicians plan boycott of pope's Bundestag speech

National: 25 Jun 11
Several Social Democratic parliamentarians are planning to boycott the speech Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to give to the Bundestag in September. They accuse the pontiff of oppressing millions around the world. READ »

European aviation authorities find faults in German planes

National: 19 Jun 11
International flight safety authorities found 545 faults in German planes in just over a year, according to a report published on Sunday. Opposition parties say the government is cutting costs at the expense of safety. READ »

Nuclear fuel transports prompt fury in Rostock

National: 14 Jun 11
Nuclear material and dangerous chemicals for the nuclear power industry are reportedly being shipped through the Baltic port city of Rostock without anyone being informed. READ »

E. coli patients may need kidney transplants

National: 12 Jun 11
Karl Lauterbach, health spokesman for the opposition Social Democrats, has warned that some of those who have fallen ill in the E. coli epidemic could face severe health problems. READ »

Greens open to coalition with Merkel's CDU

Politics: 11 Jun 11
Green Party boss Cem Özdemir has said that he could envisage a coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) after the next federal elections in 2013. READ »

Greens gain support even after Merkel's nuclear exit

Politics: 8 Jun 11
Angela Merkel's exit from nuclear power has done nothing to stem the tide of support for the environmentalist Greens, who are just three points behind the Chancellor's conservatives, a Wednesday poll showed. READ »

Oktoberfest beer prices to crack €9-mark

Society: 7 Jun 11
A litre of beer will for the first time top €9 at this year’s Oktoberfest, continuing a steady march upward in prices at the legendary Munich festival, the city announced on Tuesday. READ »

Bean sprouts now suspects in E. coli crisis

National: 5 Jun 11
Bean sprouts have emerged as the new chief suspect in the hunt for the cause of the deadly E. coli bacteria outbreak, with health authorities issuing a fresh warning on Sunday. READ »

Germany in 2011: Economic giant, political dwarf

Analysis & Opinion: 31 May 11
Consigned to minor role at last week’s G8 summit, the economic power Germany is in danger of being sidelined politically, argues Gerd Appenzeller from Der Tagesspiegel. READ »

Conservative criticism of Merkel grows

Politics: 29 May 11
Chancellor Angela Merkel is reported to be facing growing criticism from within her own party, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). READ »

MPs push for national smoking ban

Society: 26 May 11
Bundestag members from all sides of politics are joining forces to push for uniform anti-smoking laws nationwide. But any effort at fresh legislation is likely to face controversy. READ »

Merkel’s coalition conundrum

Analysis & Opinion: 24 May 11
Hemmed in by an ascendant Green party and facing life without a natural political partner, could the woes of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives help boost right-wing populists in Germany? READ »

Greens' rise muddies political landscape

Politics: 23 May 11
Germany’s politicians are struggling to get a grip on the country's changing political landscape after Bremen's state election confirmed the continuing surge of the environmentalist Greens at the expense of other parties. READ »

CDU sinks behind Greens in Bremen state election

Politics: 22 May 11
The Greens for the first time on Sunday overtook the conservatives in a state election in Germany, according to exit polls made public in the wake of the Bremen vote. READ »

Bremen's 16-year-olds vote in state election

Politics: 22 May 11
Sixteen-year-old Germans are voting in a regional election for the first time on Sunday, as nearly half a million people go to the polls in the city state of Bremen. READ »

SPD calls for more education spending

Politics: 21 May 11
Social Democratic Party chairman Sigmar Gabriel has called for substantial increases in Germany's education budget, saying that Germany "is not even up to the average" among industrialized nations. READ »

Bremen election due to cement strong Green, weak FDP positions

Politics: 20 May 11
Bremen’s state election on Sunday is expected to confirm what opinion polls say is happening throughout Germany - the Greens are on the rise, the Free Democrats in the dumps. READ »

Steinbrück signals chancellorship ambitions

Politics: 14 May 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has signalled his willingness to be a chancellor candidate for his Social Democratic Party, in an interview to be broadcast this weekend. READ »

Germany slams Denmark over border control

Politics: 12 May 11
Germany has slammed Denmark’s unilateral decision to reintroduce tighter border controls, warning that it breaches Europe’s cherished Schengen agreement allowing free movement. READ »

Sarrazin blasts SPD immigrant quota plan

Politics: 4 May 11
Former Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin has made further inflammatory remarks about immigrants just days after he was given a reprieve by his own Social Democratic Party. READ »

Greens gaining on Merkel's conservatives

Politics: 4 May 11
Germany’s highflying environmentalist Greens are breathing down the neck of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, narrowing the gap in their support to just three percentage points in a new opinion poll released on Wednesday. READ »

MPs call for hike in commuter allowance

Business & Money: 3 May 11
Amid rising petrol prices, a cross-party group of MPs is calling for a hike in the Pendlerpauschale commuter allowance, which lets German workers write off travel costs on their tax. READ »

Coalition split by anti-terror laws row

Politics: 2 May 11
Tensions are mounting within Angela Merkel’s centre-right coalition over tougher laws to battle terrorism, with differences brought into stark relief by the recent arrest of three suspected al-Qaida-linked extremists. READ »

Parliament to investigate Steinmeier claims

Politics: 30 Apr 11
Parliament is to investigate allegations that head of the Social Democratic Party’s parliamentary fraction, Frank-Walter Steinmeier was involved in an illegal political donation to the then chancellor candidate Gerhard Schröder. READ »

Sarrazin pardon sparks fierce SPD backlash

Politics: 26 Apr 11
There was mounting resentment Tuesday among centre-left Social Democrats against the party’s decision not to expel Thilo Sarrazin over his incendiary statements on immigration. READ »

Sarrazin remains SPD member

Politics: 22 Apr 11
Thilo Sarrazin, former Bundesbank board member and author of a book on immigration which caused controversy and outrage, will remain a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) it was decided on Thursday night. READ »

Parties agree Stuttgart 21 price cap and vote

Politics: 21 Apr 11
People in Baden-Württemberg will get a vote on whether to go ahead with the controversial Stuttgart 21 train station construction project, it was agreed on Wednesday night – but the cost of the project will be capped at €4.5 billion. READ »

Politicians driving 'climate killer' cars

Politics: 19 Apr 11
Despite Germany‘s recent tilt towards clean energy, most politicians are still being ferried around in gas-guzzling government cars, according to a survey by environmentalists which grades individual leaders. READ »

Steinmeier wants everyone asked organ donation question

Society: 17 Apr 11
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, parliamentary group leader for the Social Democratic Party, wants the law changed so that every German is asked once in their lives whether they would be prepared to donate their organs after they die. READ »