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What are you expecting as a German Muslim for the stance of Islam in Germany based on the elections' results? |
September 27’s German elections revealed a decreasing voter participation in the country’s history (approx. 72.5), yet higher compared to the participation in other European countries.
Provisional results show that Angela Merkel's conservatives (CDU/CSU*) have won 33.8 percent of the votes, enabling them to form a government with their preferred partners, pro-business Free Democrats (FDP). "I want to be the chancellor of all Germans so that we are all better off - especially in the midst of a crisis," said Merkel, the German Chancellor .
The FDP captured 14.6 percent of the votes, best result in the party’s history.
Generally Muslims in Germany prefer a Red-Green coalition (SPD-Greens). "Despite having religious conservative views, Germans with Turkish roots reward the SPD and Greens at polls due to their integration policies," notes Joachim Schulte, head of Data 4U.
Approximately 700,000 to 800,000 Turkish-origin voters were expected to cast their ballots and play a pivotal role in the general elections.
Fact Box:
CDU /CSU: 33.8 percent
SPD: 23 percent
FDP: 14.6 percent
The Left: 11.9 percent
Greens: 10.7 percent
Other parties: 6 percent |
Yet, the presence of FDP in the new government might be welcomed by German Muslims since -- according to party’s program -- FDP is committed to the equality of state religious communities. Islam is incompatible with the Basic Law, however "the freedom to belong and be committed to a religious faith, personally and publicly, is an important prerequisite for a prosperous and peaceful coexistence," stress the FDP statements on Islam in Germany.
Back to the major winner, it seems that CDU/CSU wants to continue the successful faith-dialogue of the German Islam Conference while maintaining a Christian approach which is clear in its statement: “on the basis of our Christian image of the man, we allow every person the right to a free development of his person.”
On the opposition side, the Greens and the Left Party have also been successful, they registered double-digit support for the first time in their history. The Greens won 10.7 percent - while they got only 8.1 percent in the last election. The Greens performed well nationwide and are still a strong party in Berlin. The Left Party also raised its share of the vote, winning 11.9 percent.
On another note, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) had disappointing results; it won just 23 percent of the votes (their lowest score in the post-war era).
What are you expecting as a Muslim for Islam in Germany based on 09 elections' results? Were Turks, who do you think form the largest group of immigrants in Germany?
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