SALON

Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012 1:45 PM UTC

Merkel launches election campaign on her record

By

Topics: From the Wires,

Merkel launches election campaign on her recordGerman Chancellor and chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Angela Merkel at the Party's 2012 convention in Hannover, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. The ruling CDU will elect a new board and reelect Angela Merkel at chairwoman at the convention. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)(Credit: Markus Schreiber)

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel launched her bid for re-election Tuesday, telling party faithful her government has successfully steered Germany through the worst of the European financial crisis and is best equipped to guide it through what may still be tough times ahead.

Speaking at her Christian Democratic Union’s party congress in Hannover, she noted that unemployment in Germany is down, the economy is still growing while others in Europe are stagnating or shrinking, and that the deficit has been reduced.

“We have guided Germany out of the crisis stronger than Germany entered the crisis,” she said to a cheering audience.

In a nod to her struggling coalition Free Democratic Party partners, she said “in these times no coalition could lead our country better.”

“This government is the most successful government since reunification,” she said.

Recent polls show Merkel’s personally far more popular than Peer Steinbrueck, the main opposition Social Democratic Party’s candidate for chancellor.

But they also indicate a tight race between the preferred coalition governments of both parties. A Dec. 1 poll for Bild newspaper showed Merkel’s CDU and Bavarian-only sister CSU with 38 percent support and the FDP with 4 percent — for 42 percent total — versus 28 percent support for the SPD and 14 percent for the Greens — also 42 percent.

The poll conducted by the Emnid agency had a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

Still, elections are 10 months away and with support for Merkel’s own party far above the others, the chancellor is in a comfortable position for the 2013 election at the moment, said Gero Neugebauer, a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University.

The eurozone debt crisis is a potential problem — but perhaps not as much of one as it might seem, he said.

“The worse the crisis gets, and with it the effects on German budget and financial policy, if it becomes clear to voters here that there is less money for national matters, that could damage Mrs. Merkel,” Neugebauer said. “Then her credibility would take a knock.”

Merkel herself acknowledged that these are “turbulent times” and that while it may be tempting to say “the euro is saved” there are signs that German growth may slow next year as other eurozone countries remain mired in recession.

“I will say here explicitly — we must be careful,” she said. “This crisis cannot be solved overnight because it didn’t happen overnight.”

Germany is the largest contributor to eurozone rescue funds, and Merkel pledged continued support to other countries, saying that “in the long run, Germany only does well when Europe does well.”

“I want to see the euro come out of this crisis stronger than it went into it, and since we’ve already accomplished that in Germany we can also accomplish that in Europe,” she said.

Domestically, she promised more support for families raising children, tax incentives for people undertaking energy-saving renovations for their homes, and more money for research and development.

She said the country needs economic growth to create more jobs, but also said it did not need growth at any price, pledging that her policies would be “economically, ecologically and socially responsible.”

_____

Associated Press writer Geir Moulson contributed to this story.

By David Rising

More By David Rising.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Study: Young people are more liberal than they think they are.
60 points61 points | 22 comments
vote
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty To Forging Newt Gingrich Primary Signatures: Adam Ward pleaded guilty to 36 counts of voter fraud and perjury
77 points78 points | 6 comments
vote
How cash secretly rules surveillance policy: Today's congressional hearing was a joke. The reason: Firms like Booz Allen bankroll and own Congress. Here's how
42 points43 points | 6 comments
vote
Here Come the Edward Snowden Truthers
49 points50 points | 18 comments
vote
The internal war between House Oversight Committee chair Darrell Issa and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings blew up again Tuesday, when Cummings released the full transcript of a five-hour interview with the conservative Republican IRS screening manager.
43 points44 points | 6 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations