WOULD West Germany's Socialists make it? As some 35 million voters went to the polls throughout the Federal Republic this week, that was the most intriguing question of all. The basic choice was between a party that promised to abide by the tested ways of the past and one that offered a more innovative approach to the future. In the five general elections since World War II, West German voters unfailingly opted for security, a penchant that has given two decades of unbroken rule to the Christian Democratic Union of Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger. As the current campaign unfolded, however, it seemed that many West Germans might be ready for something new. For the first time since 1930, the revitalized Social Democratic Party of Foreign Minister Willy Brandt appeared to have a real chance of gaining power. But, as the returns began coming in, Socialist hopes sagged. Once again, the Christian Democrats emerged as the dominant party in West Germany.
Puberty Manifestations. According to the computerized projections, the Christian Democrats drew 46.6% of the vote and probably will win 245 of the Bundestag's 496 seats, the same as in the 1965 elections. The Social Democrats attracted 42.3% of the ballots and picked up 20 new seats for a total of 222. Still their performance fell short of some optimistic expectations. The big losers were the Free Democrats, who had sought to transform themselves from a conservative into a liberal party; with only 5.6% of the vote, they lost 20 seats and wound up with only 29. The far-rightist National Democrats, whose presence in the campaign revived unpleasant memories of Germany's Nazi past, failed to win the required 5% of the vote necessary for representation in the Bundestag.
Though the Christian Democrats and Socialists have been partners for the past 33 months in the black and red Grand Coalition, the campaign accented their deep differences. In fact, during the campaign's final week, a dispute between the two major parties threatened to unsettle not only German financial affairs but the world monetary system as well. Betting on an upset victory by the Socialists and the prospect of a resulting upward revaluation of the mark —which the Socialists favor—speculators flooded West Germany with nearly $600 million in foreign currency in three days. Kiesinger sought to stem the speculation by closing the money exchanges until after the election. Two days before the balloting, Brandt and Kiesinger agreed that, regardless of the outcome, the value of the mark would remain unchanged—"for the time being" at least.