Bundesrat majority

The chancellor's Christian Democrats (CDU) and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) are not only set to form the new national government coalition. Given their victory in a separate state election on Sunday, their alliance also won a majority in the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, assuring smoother passage of legislation.

A slim victory in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday allows the CDU/FDP coalition to run the state government in Kiel; the state's four votes in the Bundesrat were just enough to tip the Bundesrat in favor of the CDU/FDP alliance. A CDU/FDP coalition rules six other German states, giving the alliance 37 of the 69 Bundesrat votes.

The previous "grand coalition," an uneasy alliance of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, depended on finding compromises with the upper house of parliament, which can delay and even stop legislation.

State elections in 2011 could again tip the house

Now that the Bundesrat hurdle has fallen, Chancellor Angela Merkel's new coalition government in Berlin has an even stronger mandate - for the time being.

But the CDU/FDP upper house majority may be short-lived: a loss for the CDU in any state poll could leave Merkel's government without control of the upper house.

North Rhine-Westphalia, a traditional Social Democratic stronghold that is currently led by a CDU/FDP coalition government, goes to the polls next May. The CDU could face an uphill battle retaining power in Germany's most populous state.

Six other state elections are scheduled for 2011, guaranteeing more change in the Bundesrat.


db/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Andreas Illmer