In the 1970s West Germany’s two main parties, one centre-left, one centre-right, together captured over 90% of the vote.
Today they are among half a dozen competing for Germans’ support.
Such fragmentation complicates the business of forming governments.
- fragmentation 碎片；分裂；分片
Last October voters in the eastern state of Thuringia returned a particularly complex result, depriving the government led by Bodo Ramelow, regional head of the Left party, of a majority.
- deprive 剥夺；免职
His left-wing, three-party alliance won just 42 of 90 seats.
But today Mr Ramelow hopes that the fractious new parliament will vote to re-confirm him for a second term as the state’s minister-president anyway.
- fractious 暴躁的；易怒的；动辄烦躁的；捣乱的
Minority governments in Germany rarely last, so what Mr Ramelow hopes to do is unusual: co-operating with liberal or conservative parties where possible to survive the entire term.
His first test may be his biggest.
The opposition has not ruled out working with him on a case-by-case basis, but they will oppose him today.
- case-by-case 具体问题具体处理
Feb 5th 2020
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