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Germany poised for national election battle
 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder took a big gamble by calling for a national election a year early to enable his people to choose who best can lead them out of mass unemployment and stagnation. Schroeder announced his high-risk strategy on Sunday after his Social Democrats (SPD) were booted out of office in the most populous German state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), a longtime left-wing bastion the party had ruled for 39 years. Bringing forward the election by one year to this autumn carries huge risks for Schroeder, who has seen his ratings plunge as unemployment has surged to post-war highs and his economic reforms have failed to boost Europe's largest economy. "It will be extremely difficult for him to come back, but it would have been more difficult a year down the road. That was his calculation," said Gary Smith, director of the American Academy, a Berlin think-tank. Schroeder has now seized the initiative from the conservatives, but opinion polls show just how difficult is the challenge facing him in the next few months. In a survey by ARD television on Sunday, 46 percent of respondents said they would vote for the rival conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), compared to 29 percent for the SPD. Schroeder must convince Germans the conservatives, who have largely supported his efforts to reform Germany's welfare system and labor market, will push for even more painful measures. Two years ago, Schroeder unveiled a reform package known as "Agenda 2010" that included cuts in jobless benefits and sparked protests across the country. But they have yet to create jobs, or boost growth -- projected at a meager 1.0 percent this year. Schroeder may also be gambling that when given a stark choice between himself and CDU leader Angela Merkel, a less charismatic figure likely to be named the conservative candidate for chancellor on May 30, voters will opt for the status quo. But both the NRW election and an earlier one in Schleswig Holstein this year suggest that change is more important to many Germans these days than a popular candidate. Posted by: True German Ally 2005-05-23 |
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