Cologne Carnival floats take a jab at politics

Cologne's traditional Rose Monday parade features different satirical floats that include political commentary. This one refers to Banksy's artwork that self-destroyed during a 2018 Sotheby's auction, now known as "Love is in the Bin." Portrayed is Angela Merkel. Following disastrous regional elections, she announced in October 2018 that her fourth term as Germany's chancellor would be her last.

The race to replace Angela Merkel was the center of a lot of attention following her announcement, so it's no wonder it became the focus of a Carnival float. Seen here is Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, of Merkel's CDU party, popping a bottle of "Merkel Brut" bubbly atop the winner's podium, with her competitors Jens Spahn (l) and Friedrich Merz (r) looking unhappy at her side.

The characters replacing Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in their iconic "Titanic" scene are Andrea Nahles, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and her party's Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor under Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Grand Coalition (known as the Groko). In regional elections in 2018, the SPD sunk to a historic low.

Well-known for his affinity for golf and taking a club to the standing order, the US President is the butt of this float's joke. Seen here with his trousers sliding off to reveal a bottom tattooed with a heart and "me" ("I love me"), Trump is taking aim at organizations like the WTO and NATO.

Brexit has been at the center of many floats over the last two years. As the date for Great Britain to leave the EU nears, this wagon motif shows a man punching himself in the face. The boxer appears to be knocking his own teeth out — teeth which are labeled "responsibilities."

Taking on a topic that's been under debate — the emissions scandal and a lack of coordinated response to address the city's high levels of pollution — this float shows a politician sucking the gas out of an auto industry lobbyist. Beside them are common sources of pollution: coal and fireworks among them.

Cracks were discovered in the Doel Nuclear Power Station and other Belgian reactors, and the neighboring German state of North Rhine-Westphalia ordered iodine tablets for its citizens in case of a nuclear accident. The speech bubble refers to a well-known sentence in Cologne's dialect, which translates as "It always worked fine until now," but the word "joot" (good) is replaced by "Jod" (iodine).

Another float dealing with an environmental issue: The clownfish Nemo, from the popular Disney animated film series is depicted here attempting to flee from a mountain of plastic bags.