To the surprise of all, on March 18, 1990, the “Alliance for Germany,” which was composed of the CDU (East), the German Social Union (DSU), and Democratic Awakening (DA), won the East German Volkskammer elections. With their votes, the majority of East Germans had declared their support for the policies of Helmut Kohl, reunification, monetary union, and the social market economy. After the elections, the wave of resettlers from East to West Germany became appreciably smaller. This photo shows the designated East German minister for disarmament and defense, Rainer Eppelmann (right, DA), and the designated East German prime minister, Lothar de Maizière (left, CDU) arriving in Bonn a few days after the election for a meeting with Chancellor Helmut Kohl.