For those accustomed to the raucousness of elections on the Indian subcontinent, Europe's own periodic festivals of democracy can seem to have the solemn bearing of a funeral. No less than the future of Europe appeared to be at stake as Germany went to the polls Sept. 22. The prospect of four more years for Angela Merkel, the chief enforcer of austerity, concentrated the minds of unemployed youth in Greece and Spain as well as derivatives traders in London.
The streets of Berlin, however, were devoid of election fervor, as though confirming an intellectually vacuous campaign in which highway tolls seemed a more urgent issue than the euro crisis.
The subliminal message of Merkel's trademark hand gesture that outlines a diamond — dubbed the "Merkel rhombus" — may have been stability and security. But a giant billboard, strategically located near the Reichstag and featuring her restful hands, looked like an art installation rather than a campaign poster.