Kohl Rejects Early Vote by New Germany
Chancellor Helmut Kohl has scrapped plans to move up all-German elections from Dec. 2 to Oct. 14, officials said today.
The decision followed a daylong parliamentary debate in which the opposition Social Democrats made clear they would not let Kohl have the two-thirds majority needed for a necessary constitutional change.
Kohl had originally planned elections for an all-German Parliament on Dec. 2. But last week East German Prime Minister Lothar de Maiziere, after consultations with Kohl, said the date of the elections and of formal German unity would be moved up to Oct. 14.
It was not immediately clear what date Kohl has decided on for formal German unity. The opposition Social Democrats want it to occur on Sept. 15, with elections on Dec. 2.
During a stormy Bundestag debate, lawmakers from Kohl’s governing coalition and his rivals charged each other with slowing the unity process and sowing uncertainty among the beleaguered East German populace.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
