Opinion: After Germany’s elections Belarus might step up in German direction

It is the third time Angela Merkel’s bloc, which is Christian Democratic Union, has won parliamentary elections. According to political analysts, its results show ‘Merkel’s triumph’.

Her conservative party took about 41.5% of the vote, which has topped its record level of the year of 1990. But as the Chancellor’s bloc finished just short of an absolute majority the winner is to form a governing coalition. Its junior partner, Free Democrats (FDP), failed to clear the 5 per cent barrier and will not be represented in Bundestag. Mrs Merkel is believed to seek a grand coalition with the strongest competitor, Social Democrats (SPD), who won 26%.

The latter are highly likely to agree to such coalition, German experts say. As a result of liberals’ losing their benches, German Forein Minister Guido Westerwelle is leaving his post too. Mr Westerwelle, a representative of German liberal circles, has never made bones about his homosexuality, but Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka was not slow to launch some stinging attacks on him sparking rows between the countries.

For example, in March, 2012, in response the EU’ s expanding sanctions against Belarus, Mr. Lukashenka did not hesitate to have a fling at his sexual orientation. “It is better to be a dictator than gay. But let him go, rather, the question is that all of us remember the middle of the XXth century and the things that the world got out of their [German - Belsat] dictatorship. Our people still have not come round. That is why it is not them to reproach us for some dictatorship. I have no desire to reason about the subject at all,” Lukashenka said.

One should not rule out that the liberals’ defeat and Westerwelle’s resignation might result in the Belarusian MFA’s stepping up in the German direction.

It is interesting that only Konrad Adenauer managed to gain the absolute majority at the elections, Angela Merkel being close to beating his political record.

Belsat.eu