Deborah Cole

@deborahcole.bsky.social

Berlin correspondent, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/deborah-cole
deborah.cole(at)theguardian.com

@deborahcole.bsky.social

A fair question. When referring e.g. to the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt we often write "right-wing extremist" bc it has that designation from the authorities. While the case is still open at the national level, we hold back. We also call the Linke leftwing & place it with the "democratic" parties (not AfD)

@deborahcole.bsky.social

The referendum came from a grassroots movement with Linke support. Berlin’s govt finally presented a legal framework to make it a reality about a year ago but then slow-walked it. Merz has said he intends to block it, and the SPD, likely to be in a Berlin coalition, opposes it. Watch this space!

@theguardian.comReposted by @deborahcole.bsky.social

Friedrich Merz vows to stay in office after CDU ‘disaster’ in German state elections

theguardian.comFriedrich Merz vows to stay in office after CDU ‘disaster’ in German state electionsFar-right AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and leftwing Die Linke on course for victory in Berlin Germany’s embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to stay in office and fight for future-proofing economic reforms despite heavy losses for his conservatives in two state elections, one to the far right and the other to a leftwing party. Preliminary results indicated Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) tallied just over the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament in the coastal region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst-ever state score, which he called a “disaster”. Continue reading...
@deborahcole.bsky.social

😍😍😍https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/sep/17/socialist-hotels-in-pictures?utm_term=6aacd23ae4567b95bb8bdfa68434bea7&utm_campaign=FirstEdition&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=firstedition_email (with a 🌟 for the featured Sevan Writers’ House, Armenia)

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