Hamburg's Center-Right Coalition Government Collapses

Hamburg Mayor Ole von Beust, a Christian Democrat, said on Tuesday he could no longer rely on a majority in the city-state's parliament. He added that continued infighting among party members of the coalition’s junior partner threatened the city’s image.

“I can’t accept that the city’s reputation and dignity are being questioned,” Beust said.

Party seeks to expel founder

At the center of the fall-out stands Ronald Schill, who is the founder of the populist right-wing Schill Party and served as Hamburg’s interior minister until last August. Beust had dismissed the former judge after he allegedly threatened to disclose the mayor's homosexuality over a personnel dispute.

Schill disappeared from the headlines for several months, but reemerged recently when the Hamburg chapter of his party reelected him as its leader. The national leadership deposed Schill over the weekend, prompting that man once known as “Judge Merciless” to chair a party meeting at the same time as a another meeting endorsed by the party’s national leadership took place.

As a result, Schill threatened to depose national party leader Mario Mettbach, who also serves as Hamburg’s deputy mayor. Mettbach in turn announced on Tuesday that the party leadership would start proceedings to revoke Schill’s party membership.

“We regret this, but I’m happy this farce is over,” Mettbach said after he, Beust and a representative of the Free Liberal Democrats, the third coalition partner, announced the government’s break-up.

Little change expected nationally

Though Beust said he was relaxed about the idea of entering a reelection campaign, opinion polls suggest Social Democrats could regain power with the help of the Green Party. In 2001, Schill’s unexpected success with voters had put Christian Democrats into office after more than 40 years of Social Democratic rule in the city.

After losing several state elections, a Hamburg victory would boost morale among Social Democrats and Greens. But they would not regain power in Germany’s upper legislative chamber, the Bundesrat, because Hamburg only has three votes in the 69-member body. The conservative states control 41 seats and are therefore able to block government proposals such as current plans to lower taxes and revamp Germany’s labor market.