Germany's fast-sinking Pirates could shipwreck Merkel

[Gerald]

(Reuters) - Germany's Pirates, a party that came from nowhere to be a major political force, are suffering a dramatic reversal of fortune that could harm Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2013 re-election chances.

After surging ahead of the Free Democrats (FDP), Left Party and Greens to become Germany's third strongest party, polling 13 percent in April, the Pirates have fallen back to 4 percent.

Their drop below the 5 percent threshold needed for seats in parliament could mean the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens recover enough votes to form a majority next year and oust Merkel.

"The Pirates raised expectations that couldn't be fulfilled," said Matthias Jung, head of pollsters the Electoral Research Group. "The speed of their decline has a lot to do with the way they've been quarrelling in public."

The Pirates are a band of self-confessed nerds who campaign on an eclectic platform of free Internet downloads, data protection, free public transport and legalizing drugs.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...89S0SO20121029


Note: Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:36pm EDT