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Germany Turns to the Right: What does the Election Μean for Greece?


The election results in the German elections on Sunday confirmed the Greek government’s worst fears.
Athens is putting on a brave face, but the reality is that Angela Merkel, who in the last two years has formed a good working relationship with Alexis Tsipras and his government, has seen her  authority diminished, after her conservative bloc secured the lead position but failed to halt the march of right wing populists.
Athens was also hoping that the Social Democrats of SPD, would strengthened their position in German politics.
Instead, the party of Martin Shultz, that was critical of the tight austerity imposed upon Greece, suffered a crushing blow receiving only 21%, marking the poorest result for Germany’s oldest party since 1949, and pushing it on to the opposition benches.
A repeat of the so-called “grand coalition” between Merkel’s conservative alliance and the SPD would amount to 354 seats – 316 are required to form a government – but it was vehemently ruled out by Schulz.
A second option for a new government is a “Jamaica alliance” – so called because the parties’ colours make up the Jamaican flag – between the CDU/CSU, the resurrected Free Democratic party (FDP) and the Greens, which would have 356 seats.
The FDP have been critical of German policy towards Greece, but unlike the SPD demand a tougher stance. They have been saying that the Wolfgang Schäuble’s approach is too lenient on the debt-ridden country and lately some of its senior politicians have been making public statements about a possible Grexit.
The worst outcome for Greece in the elections is the historic third place achieved by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) which has secured around 13% of the vote.
This marks the first time in almost six decades that an openly nationalist party will enter the Bundestag.
Alexander Gauland, the AfD’s top candidate, addressing euphoric party members at the party’s Berlin headquarters, said that the AfD would “hunt” Merkel over her refugee policy, renewing his party’s calls during the campaign for a parliamentary committee to examine the legal grounds on which she opened Germany’s borders during the refugee crisis of 2015.
He added: “We will take our people and our country back.”
The implication for Greece is that Merkel’s government would have to be tougher on migration issues. On Sunday night, Merkel promised to listen to the “concerns and anxieties” of AfD voters in order to win back their votes.
Germany now faces weeks of drawn-out coalition talks between the parties, about who will form a government with the CDU/CSU.
Analysts fear that this may delay talks on the completion of the third review of the Greek bailout which is currently underway and make it more difficult for Tsipras to complete his promise that Greece will end the bailouts era in the Summer of 2018.

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