メルケル氏続投 強い経済へ期待示す独総選挙

The Yomiuri Shimbun September 25, 2013
Merkel’s stunning election victory reflects hopes for strong economy
メルケル氏続投　強い経済へ期待示す独総選挙（9月24日付・読売社説）

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, consisting of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, scored a stunning victory in the country’s general election Sunday, virtually guaranteeing her a third term.
　ドイツの総選挙で、メルケル首相の保守政党、キリスト教民主・社会同盟（ＣＤＵ・ＣＳＵ）が大勝し、首相の３選が確実になった。

If she serves out her third term, she will have been in office for 12 years, surpassing the 11 years served by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to hold that office. Merkel’s tenure would also be the longest ever in Germany.
　任期を全うすれば在任１２年に達し、女性宰相の先輩、サッチャー元英首相を抜く。独歴代政権の中でも長期政権となる。

The bloc’s victory can be attributed to the fact that German voters appreciated her achievements in keeping the German economy on a stable road while the leaders of other European countries were replaced one after another due to fiscal and monetary crises. Her continued term of office will be hailed by the international community, which hopes for a stable business recovery.
　同盟の勝利は、欧州の財政・金融危機で各国指導者の交代が相次ぐ中、ドイツの堅調な経済を守り抜いたメルケル首相の実績が国民に評価されたためだろう。続投は、安定的な景気回復を望む国際社会からも歓迎されよう。

Merkel has steered her country, the strongest economic power in Europe, by displaying strong leadership.
　メルケル氏はこれまで、欧州一の経済大国ドイツを、強い指導力で牽引(けんいん)してきた。

The jobless rate, which once topped 10 percent, has been halved under her administration. Exports set a new record in terms of value last year. Merkel has promoted structural reform and deregulation, the agenda she inherited from the previous administration, and reduced the corporate tax rate. These efforts, it may be said, enhanced the international competitiveness of German companies.
　メルケル政権下で、１０％を超えていた失業率は半減した。輸出も昨年、過去最高額を更新した。前政権からの構造改革と規制緩和を推進し、法人税率の引き下げなどに踏み切ったことが、企業の国際競争力を高めたと言える。

Some German voters were deeply unhappy that the country’s financial burden ballooned as a result of its pivotal role in providing financial assistance from the European Union to southern European countries, including financially strapped Greece. However, Merkel’s bloc maintained its top spot during the campaign.
　危機に瀕(ひん)したギリシャなど南欧諸国に対し、欧州連合（ＥＵ）が支援を行った際、中心的役割を担ったドイツの負担が膨らんだことに、有権者の一部には強い不満があった。だが、選挙戦で同盟の優位は揺るがなかった。

She made tenacious efforts to win over the public by asserting that aiding other European countries to defend the euro was indispensable for the development of the European economy and would serve the national interest of Germany. She was successful in these efforts.
　ユーロを守るため他国を救済することは、欧州経済の発展に不可欠で、ドイツの国益にかなうという首相の粘り強い説得が、国民に浸透してきたのではないか。

Challenges in 3rd term

Ending the financial crisis in Europe remains the primary agenda to be tackled in Merkel’s third term.
　３期目も、危機の収拾が最大懸案であることには変わりない。

Some southern European countries have complained that Germany’s demand for excessive fiscal austerity as a condition for financial assistance delayed their business recovery.
　南欧諸国からは、ドイツが支援の条件として過度の緊縮財政を強いて、景気回復を遅らせたと反発する声が出ている。

The eurozone’s structural problems, represented by the fact that it has one currency but fiscal management is conducted separately in each country, remain unsettled. More cooperation will be called for between Germany and other major European countries, including France.
　「通貨は一つで財政はバラバラ」というユーロ圏の構造的な問題も未解決だ。フランスなど欧州主要国との連携が一層問われる。

Attention is now focused on how negotiations to establish a stable coalition government will turn out.
　当面の焦点は、安定的政権を目指す連立交渉の行方だ。

The Free Democratic Party, which was the union bloc’s coalition partner before the election, lost its parliamentary seats, making it impossible by a small margin of seats for the bloc to form a government single-handedly. In view of this, the bloc will negotiate with other parties regarding a possible coalition, centering on a grand coalition plan with the Social Democratic Party, which is the second-largest party after the bloc.
　連立を組んでいた自由民主党が議席を失い、過半数議席にわずかに届かない同盟は、第２党の社会民主党（ＳＰＤ）との大連立を軸に多数派工作に乗り出す。

To form a grand coalition with the center-left Social Democrats, who support assistance to southern European nations and fiscal union in the eurozone, it will be necessary to iron out policy differences.
　左派のＳＰＤは、南欧支援やユーロ圏の財政統合に同盟より積極的であり、連立には政策のすり合わせが必要になろう。

Of concern to Japan is that Merkel has not visited this nation since 2008, while she has been keen on bolstering economic relations with China.
　日本にとって気がかりなのは、メルケル首相が中国との経済関係強化に熱心な一方で、２００８年以来、訪日していないことだ。

In her third term, we hope she will promote an exchange of visits by the prime ministers of the two countries. There must be many subjects to be discussed by the two leaders, including an economic partnership agreement between Japan and the EU and environmental issues.
　３期目では、首脳の往来を活発化してほしい。日ＥＵの経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）や環境問題など協議事項は少なくないはずだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 24, 2013)
（2013年9月24日01時31分 読売新聞）