GERMAN CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel lost an important political ally yesterday with the resignation of Dieter Althaus, governor of the eastern state of Thuringia.
Mr Althaus stood down yesterday with two clouds hanging over him: a slump in support at the weekend state election and a criminal conviction for killing a Slovakian woman during a winter skiing accident.
His departure was greeted with relief by many in his own Christian Democratic Union (CDU): after losing its absolute majority, the party is anxious to pursue talks with the Social Democrats (SPD) on forming a grand coalition.
Such an alliance at state level will increase growing speculation in Berlin that the September 27th federal election might end the same way.
The grand coalition option in Thuringia also has attractions for the CDU’s would-be partner, the SPD.
Many in that party would prefer a cross-party alliance with their CDU rivals than a deal with the local Left Party.
This view is shared by SPD leaders in Berlin: although they gave local leaders in the Thuringian capital, Erfurt, a free hand, they are nervous about the potential blowback of a so-called red-red alliance on their own national campaign ahead of the September 27th poll.
Local SPD leader Christoph Matschie welcomed the resignation of Mr Althaus but said he had yet to decide how to proceed. “We will conduct negotiations with the CDU but also with the Left Party and the Greens,” he said.
With several coalition options, the SPD is in a strong negotiating position in this central German state, despite finishing the election in distant third place.
In reality, though, party leaders in Erfurt would prefer to shun the Left Party and its leader, Bodo Ramelow. Going into a red-red government would throw up the awkward issue of SPD politicians having to vote for Mr Ramelow as state governor, as head of the senior coalition partner.
“With this resignation, the chances have shifted drastically in favour of a grand coalition in Erfurt,” said political scientist Oskar Niedermeyer on Ard television.
“That doesn’t automatically mean anything for the government in Berlin.”
For Dr Merkel, the resignation of Mr Althaus is a personal set-back: like her, he grew up in the former East Germany, and she enjoyed a closer relationship with him than the other, western-born state governors.
But even she realised his days were numbered after the election result – 11 points down on his last outing – put an end to his hopes of reviving his political career.
On New Year’s Day last, Mr Althaus caused the death of a 41-year-old woman after skiing the wrong way down a slope in the Austrian Alps.
He was found guilty of death by negligence and fined €33,000.
