No. 2 East German Faction OKs Joint Election This Year

East Germany’s second-largest political faction Saturday endorsed joint German elections in December, greatly increasing the chances that one government will be running a united Germany within six months.

East Germany’s Social Democrats had said earlier that joint elections, and full German unification, should not take place until late next year.

Party chief Sabine Riebe said her party will meet with West German Social Democrats on Sept. 26 to merge their parties. She proposed all-German elections Dec. 16 to replace the West German vote, scheduled for Dec. 2.

The decision came a day after the four World War II Allies that fought Germany promised to finish their negotiations on unification by year’s end.

West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, speaking on West German radio, said that move also clears the way for joint elections before year’s end. Under the laws of both countries, a new Parliament would have to convene within 30 days of elections.

The German states are to merge their economies on July 1-2, ending East Germany’s four decades of socialism. They are also working on a new state treaty that would outline the details of merging the two political systems.

East Germany is expected to create a system of states to mirror the federal system in West Germany. The country will probably hold state elections in October.

Until recently, it appeared likely that full political unification would not take place until late next year. But West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl last month urged joint elections in December to replace the Dec. 2 West German elections. Kohl’s conservative Christian Democrats believe they will stand a better chance of winning unified elections.

The West German Social Democrats won three important state elections this year that were seen as a litmus test for the West German elections.

The Christian Democrats of Prime Minister Lothar de Maiziere overwhelmingly won East Germany’s first free elections on March 18. The Social Democrats in East Germany are members of De Maiziere’s broad coalition government. The West German Social Democrats, however, are the main opposition group in West Germany.