The Year After: Rot-Grun und die Wahltrends '99

In: Neue soziale Bewegungen: Forschungsjournal, Band 12, Heft 4, S. 40-49

Abstract

In 1998, an elected government was voted out of office for the first time in postwar Germany (through parliamentary elections). The Social Democrat-Green coalition's electoral mandate was surprisingly large, but not as surprising as the rapid decline of approval for the government & its policies in its first year. Relying on empirical survey data, it is noted that support for the Social Democrats & the Greens is fluid & changes over time; decreasing support for the Social Democrats has occurred for personal & individual reasons & as a reaction to legislation such as the 630DM bill & the law against apparent self-employment. The current government's shrinking mandate may stem from a regular shift in the electoral cycle, but may also result from the disintegration of the voter coalition that helped Gerhard Schroder win in 1998: traditional Social Democratic voters & the centrist "Neue Mitte" ("New Center") voters who are committed to modernization. 2 Tables, 3 Figures, 9 References. Adapted from the source document.