Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 27 March 2017
Merkel party wins state vote as election year starts

GEIR MOULSON alition is politically feasible.
Associated Press Pre-election polls suggest-
BERLIN (AP) — Chancel- ed a significantly tighter
lor Angela Merkel’s con- race. They pointed to the
servative party easily won possibility of a Social Dem-
an election in Germany’s ocrat-led government with
western Saarland state the opposition Left Party —
on Sunday, an unexpect- a prospect that may have
edly strong performance turned off some voters.
as Merkel prepares to seek The Left Party, born from
a fourth term in a national the merger a decade
vote later this year. ago of ex-communists with
The outcome was disap- other left-wingers and rela-
pointing for her center-left tively strong in Saarland,
rivals, the Social Demo- won 12.9 percent. The left-
crats, in their first electoral leaning Greens dropped
test since nominating Mar- out of the state legislature,
tin Schulz in January as falling short of the 5 per-
Merkel’s rival for the chan- cent needed to keep their
cellery. seats.
The party, which saw a The nationalist Alternative
boost in poll ratings with for Germany, or AfD, won
Schulz’s nomination, fell 6.2 percent of the vote.
far short of its hoped-for That means it is now repre-
first place finish and won
too little support for a new German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and Governor of German federal state Saarland and CDU sented in 11 of Germany’s
left-wing government in top candidate Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer wave in St.Wendel, Germany. Merkel’s conservative 16 state parliaments, but
the region of nearly 1 mil- party easily won an election in Germany’s western Saarland state on Sunday, an unexpectedly Sunday’s result was far
lion people on the French strong performance as Merkel prepares to seek a fourth term in a national vote later this year. short of the party’s double-
border. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) digit showings elsewhere
Conservative governor An- last year.
negret Kramp-Karrenbau- that governs reliably,” said with the populists of left Saarland is currently run AfD rode discontent over
er’s popularity appeared Peter Tauber, the general and right.” by a “grand coalition” the influx of migrants to
to have trumped what secretary of Merkel’s Chris- The CDU polled 40.7 per- of the conservatives and Germany in 2015 and 2016,
has become known as the tian Democratic Union. cent in the election for Saa- Social Democrats, similar but that issue has faded
“Schulz effect.” “The CDU is the only po- rland’s state legislature. The to Merkel’s governing al- somewhat from headlines
“In uncertain times, peo- litical force that distanced Social Democrats received liance in Berlin. Sunday’s and the party has suffered
ple trust the political force itself clearly from working 29.6 percent of the vote. result means no other co- from infighting. q

Only UKIP lawmaker in British Parliament quits anti-EU party

GREGORY KATZ ty is losing its only member the successful Brexit cam- goal was met in a June ref- has spent time in the U.S.
Associated Press of the British Parliament in a paign, and Arron Banks, erendum. cultivating a friendship with
LONDON (AP) — blow to the upstart anti-Eu- the party’s most generous “By April 2019, Britain will no President Donald Trump,
The UK Independence Par- rope party, which has seen donor. Carswell down- longer be a member of the had only harsh words
Like us on bitter feuding between its played these differences. EU,” Carswell said. about Carswell’s depar-
He said the party’s main “After 24 years, we have ture.
top figures.
Facebook Douglas Carswell said this goal of winning Britain’s done it. Brexit is in good He said Carswell “jumped
before he was pushed”
weekend that he’s leaving exit from the European hands.”
UKIP and will serve in Parlia- Union had been achieved Carswell, a former Conser- and should have left UKIP
ment as an independent. now that Conservative vative Party member, was some time ago.
He said his departure won’t Prime Minister Theresa May the only UKIP candidate to He accused Carswell of try-
trigger a new election be- is set to trigger Article 50 on win a seat in the 2015 gen- ing to undermine the party.
cause he isn’t joining an- Wednesday to begin the eral election. Carswell, however, put a
other party. EU divorce negotiations. The more high-profile Far- positive spin on his depar-
Carswell has been in di- UKIP had campaigned age lost his bid for a place ture: “I will leave UKIP ami-
rect conflict with former fiercely for more than two in Britain’s Parliament. cably, cheerfully and in the
facebook.com/bondianoticia party leader Nigel Farage, decades to convince Brit- Farage, who recently left knowledge that we won,”
who played a key role in ons to leave the EU. That the party leadership and he said. q