Volkswagen Avoids Effort to Beef Up Oversight in German State Election
- 7 years ago
Volkswagen Avoids Effort to Beef Up Oversight in German State Election
If confirmed by official tallies, the result would be a blow to Ms. Merkel, who had visited Lower Saxony several times to campaign
and is now negotiating to form a government in Berlin after her party’s poor performance in elections last month.
FRANKFURT — Germany’s largest opposition party appeared likely to retain power in an important state election on Sunday
that could sway the balance of power in Berlin and stymie efforts to strengthen oversight at Volkswagen, which dominates the region’s economy.
The Christian Democrats in Lower Saxony began the election campaign with a substantial lead
but may have been hurt by Ms. Merkel’s performance in the national elections last month.
The state of Lower Saxony owns a 20 percent stake in Volkswagen, and the party in power has a strong say over company strategy.
The Social Democrats led by Mr. Weil won 37 percent of the vote, a gain of almost
5 percentage points from elections in 2013, according to unofficial returns.
The Left party, which has roots in the Communist Party
that once controlled East Germany, apparently did not achieve the 5 percent share of votes needed to secure a place in the state Parliament.
If confirmed by official tallies, the result would be a blow to Ms. Merkel, who had visited Lower Saxony several times to campaign
and is now negotiating to form a government in Berlin after her party’s poor performance in elections last month.
FRANKFURT — Germany’s largest opposition party appeared likely to retain power in an important state election on Sunday
that could sway the balance of power in Berlin and stymie efforts to strengthen oversight at Volkswagen, which dominates the region’s economy.
The Christian Democrats in Lower Saxony began the election campaign with a substantial lead
but may have been hurt by Ms. Merkel’s performance in the national elections last month.
The state of Lower Saxony owns a 20 percent stake in Volkswagen, and the party in power has a strong say over company strategy.
The Social Democrats led by Mr. Weil won 37 percent of the vote, a gain of almost
5 percentage points from elections in 2013, according to unofficial returns.
The Left party, which has roots in the Communist Party
that once controlled East Germany, apparently did not achieve the 5 percent share of votes needed to secure a place in the state Parliament.