217/2018 • 22 SEPTEMBER, 2018 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Far-right AfD second only to Angela Merkelʼs weakening conservatives And one conservative politician, in particular, seems to have lost the trust of the electorate
Germanyʼsfar-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has overtaken the co-ruling Social Democrats (SPD) in voter popularity to become the second-strongest party behind Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs conservatives, the Deutschlandtrend poll by public broadcaster ARD has shown on Friday. The AfD moved up two percentage points since the last survey on September 9, bringing it to 18 percent — one percentage point more than the junior coalition partner SPD, which lost a point. Merkelʼs conservative CDU/CSU bloc, which has led German governments since 2005, also slipped a point to 28 percent, representing its worst result since the survey was launched in 1997. The growing support for the AfD comes almost a year after it first entered the national parliament as the third-strongest force in German politics, winning 12.6 percent of the vote. The AfD, which was launched in 2013 with an anti-euro platform, has since evolved into a fullfledged far-right, anti-immigration party that has attracted growing criticism for rhetoric that many see as redolent of Germanyʼs Nazi era. Other smaller German parties, however, also profited from the governing coalitionʼs falling support. The environmentalist Greens and the businessfriendly Free Democrats (FDP) each gained a point to reach 15 percent and 9 percent respectively. The Left Party
remained constant on 10 percent. The latest figures come asa dispute over Germanyʼs domestic spy chiefhas further exposed apparently irreconcilable divisions within the coalition of Germanyʼs two main parties. The government hascome under fire from many sidesfor its decision this week to remove the head of the domestic intelligence agency, Hans-Georg Maassen, whom many accuse of sympathizing with far-right ideology, by promoting him to a higher-paid position at the Interior Ministry. The much-criticized solution has done nothing to allay rifts within the coalition, largely over immigration policy, with hard-liners within the government advocating ever-stricter limitations in an apparent bid to win back voters from the farright AfD. News Far-right AfD second only to Angela Merkelʼs weakening conservatives A poll shows Germanyʼs ruling coalition continuing to lose voter support, with the populist AfD as the main beneficiary. And one conservative politician, in particular, seems to have lost the trust of the electorate. Germanyʼsfar-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has overtaken the co-ruling Social Democrats (SPD) in voter popularity to become the second-strongest party behind Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs conservatives, the Deutschlandtrend poll by public broadcaster ARD has shown on Friday.
German firms lead exodus out of Iran
Berlin blocks controversial Wall project
In May, the US pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed by the Obama administration in 2015 to lift economic sanctions in return for Tehran limiting its nuclear activities and allowing international inspectors to examine its nuclear sites. To avoid exposure to US secondary sanctions, foreign firms have been advised to use the time period to wind down activities with or involving Iran. The focus is on "bottleneck sectors" — areas where there is little or no way to avoid a US connection, including aviation, insurance, shipping, logistics, and especially banking. This means many German companies are caught in the crosshairs.
Berlin authorities refused to approve the ambitious and controversial Dau project, which was to set up a replica of the Berlin Wall from October 12 to November 9 that would have blocked an area surrounding Berlinʼs central boulevard Unter den Linden, well known to tourists for its numerous historical landmarks. At a press conference on Friday, Berlin Senator for Transport Regine Günther and District Councilor Sabine Weissler, explained that the organizersʼ security concept was not fully developed, pointing out that application for the project only came in six weeks before the event was to take place; such a process usually takes an entire year.
Germany sees spike in workers calling in sick
A poll shows Germanyʼs ruling coalition continuing to lose voter support, with the populist AfD as the main beneficiary.
Moorland fire sparks disaster situation as blaze spreads Authorities in the German state of Lower Saxony said on Friday that two towns near the site of a moorland fire at a Bundeswehr testing facility may have to be evacuated. The head of the Emsland district authority, Reinhard Winter, said it could no longer be ruled out that the approximately 1,000 residents of the towns of Gross Stavern and Klein Stavern might have to be taken to safety. "It, of course, depends on how firefighting efforts go on the Bundeswehr terrain and on the changing weather conditions as to whether there has to be an evacuation at all," Winter said.
Private companies and public authorities logged almost 560 million sick days in 2016, according to data provided by the German government in response to an inquiry by the Left party. The number of sick days taken by workers in Germanyrose by 60 percent between 2008 and 2016, reported German newspaper Rheinische Post on Friday, citing the government figures. The missed days dealt a blow to the economy, with the government estimating the resulting economic damage amounted to €75 billion ($88 million) in 2016.