In Germany a major political crisis erupted on Thursday June 14, 2018 triggered by Europe’s growing migrant dilemma. The next day the DW website posted an article titled, “CDU denies role for Wolfgang Schäuble as migration policy mediator”.
In it, DW outlined the situation.
“An escalating disagreement between Merkel and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer over migrationpolicy is threatening to tear apart the ruling conservatives, who currently govern with the Social Democrats (SPD).”
The Interior Minister
“Seehofer and the CSU have threatened to go off on their own if Merkel won’t agree to their plan. Seehofer is expected to announce the start of border checks on Monday, using his authority as interior minister. If he follows through on the move, Merkel will be put in the difficult position of either backing down from her position or rebuking and possibly firing Seehofer.”
The leader of CSU did not carry out his threat on Monday the 18th. He agreed instead to hold off doing anything until after the EU Summit on Thursday June 28th.
CSU Strategy and Punt to the EU
DW TV said that politics is as involved as principle; the CSU wants to “look tough” to voters. That’s because, DW TV added, the CSU is also facing state elections in Bavaria in October where they’re hoping to defend their absolute majority against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Chancellor Angela Merkel stated she felt migration is an EU problem and must be solved at the EU level. The alternative sets a precedent for more countries to decide how to handle migration on their own — like some of the Eastern European countries already have done. And that’s not the kind of conduct that she believes helps the stability of the EU.
Ahead
If the Grand Coalition crumbles, new national elections seem likely. That being the case, not only could interior minister Seehofer lose his position, but Germany’s moderate chancellor may soon be out of a job as well.
A German poll in February claimed the ultra-right AfD had risen from swiftly becoming Germany’s third most popular political party to its second just since last autumn’s elections (see our March 6, 2018 article, “More Key European Votes“).
If the poll is any indication — even without new 2018 national elections — chances are high you will soon see the migration problem push Germany’s government, and other governments, further to the right.
UPDATE July 05: Today, the acute government crisis ended; Germany’s three coalition partners all agreed to continue the Grand Coalition.
Photo Credits: Brandenburg Gate by Tony Webster, License: CC BY 2.0; Interior Minister courtesy of the CSU; AfD Poster by harry_nl, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
