Herald Tribune: Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany said Sunday that he wanted to hold early elections in the autumn after his Social Democrats were ousted from power in the crucial western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The surprise announcement on prime-time television was made after the opposition Christian Democrats were swept into power in North Rhine-Westphalia, ending nearly four decades of rule by the Social Democrats. |Source|

CDU party leader Angela Merkel:

"If the SPD thinks there is a need for early elections, I can only say that every day that the SPD-Greens are not ruling is a good day for Germany"

I couldn't agree more! (And I don't think that they will turn back the clock even further by undoing the labour market reform...).