Abstract
The triumph of the right-of-center Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and
their Bavarian sister-party the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the eighteenth
Bundestag election of 22 September 2013 and the subsequent return
for a third term in office of CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel was to all intents
and purposes a foregone conclusion long before polling day.1 Germany’s
impressive economic performance in the years leading up to the election, as
well as the political acumen of Merkel and the singular incompetence of her
main opponents, the left-of-center Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD), had led to a series of impressive opinion poll leads for Merkel and
her party. There were no game changing gaffes or scandals during the campaign
and the sense of inevitability around a Merkel victory led many
observers to complain about the so-called “strategic demobilization” of the
CDU campaign and the apparent disengagement and apathy it had created.
their Bavarian sister-party the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the eighteenth
Bundestag election of 22 September 2013 and the subsequent return
for a third term in office of CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel was to all intents
and purposes a foregone conclusion long before polling day.1 Germany’s
impressive economic performance in the years leading up to the election, as
well as the political acumen of Merkel and the singular incompetence of her
main opponents, the left-of-center Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD), had led to a series of impressive opinion poll leads for Merkel and
her party. There were no game changing gaffes or scandals during the campaign
and the sense of inevitability around a Merkel victory led many
observers to complain about the so-called “strategic demobilization” of the
CDU campaign and the apparent disengagement and apathy it had created.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Merkel Republic |
Subtitle of host publication | An Appraisal |
Editors | Eric Langenbacher |
Place of Publication | New York |
Publisher | Berghahn Independent Publishing |
Chapter | 2 |
Pages | 48-60 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781782388968 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781782388951 |
Publication status | Published - 15 Sept 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |