The only constituency in Germany’s national election that matters
With Germany’s Social Democrats struggling to resuscitate their sagging fortunes with just a month until election day, party leaders are getting desperate.
With Germany’s Social Democrats struggling to resuscitate their sagging fortunes with just a month until election day, party leaders are getting desperate.
unemployment benefits – reformed by the last government – rather than pensions.
But the costs for the federal government for unemployment benefits are less than a quarter of the annual grant to the pension system, and even drastic cuts there would not suffice to finance the CDU/CSU’s wish list, such as corporate tax cuts or higher military spending.
Compared with 21 million pensioners, the five million unemployed seem to be an easier target, however – certainly coming with a lower risk of losing a core constituency.
