GERMANY: GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN TO BEGINS WITH REGIONAL POLLS скачать в хорошем качестве

GERMANY: GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN TO BEGINS WITH REGIONAL POLLS

(27 Feb 1998) German/Nat Germany's general election is not until September - but the campaign will really begin this weekend with regional polls in Lower Saxony. At stake is the political future of the opposition S-P-D Social Democrat Party - and their chances of unseating Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Interest is focusing on the S-P-D Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schroeder who is aiming to win his party's nomination to challenge Kohl in September. The German state of Lower Saxony goes to the polls this Sunday - and the outcome could set the scene for the general elections in September. At stake is the political future of the state's Prime Minister and whether he will run against Helmut Kohl to become Germany's next Chancellor. Opinion polls show Kohl's Christian Democrat party (C-D-U) trailing behind the Social Democrats (S-P-D) in Lower Saxony. The German leader is weakened by record unemployment, damaging his chances for re-election for an unprecedented fifth term. The Social Democrats think they can beat Kohl's party - but who will lead them into the battle? - their current leader Oskar Lafontaine or the challenger Gerhard Schroeder - currently Lower Saxony's Prime Minister. That is why this regional election is so important. It is turning into a proxy general election as Kohl tries to derail the man the polls are saying is most likely to end his 15-year reign. A strong performance for Schroeder in Lower Saxony could put him into the race against Kohl - a challenge Kohl is hoping to avoid. Opinion polls are saying Schroeder could win a federal election. Kohl hopes the C-D-U can win enough votes in Germany's third largest state to harm Schroeder. But a weak result for the C-D-U could also spark internal opposition over Kohl's leadership of the party. Christian Wulff, Schroeder's opposition, who has attacked Kohl's leadership of the C-D-U, is not expected to unseat Schroeder. But if he hits home with attacks Schroeder's economic record, especially unemployment and debt, he could undermine the Prime Minister's national ambitions. The S-P-D decided on Wednesday to speed up their choice of who will run against Chancellor Helmut Kohl in the September elections. Party leaders will make their decision the day after the Lower Saxony elections. The timing of the announcement, previously scheduled March 16, has gave rise to speculation that the party is preparing to give the nod to Schroeder. Schroeder, a 53-year-old moderate who wants to reach out to middle-class voters, is the German left's most popular figure in the polls. SOUNDBITE: (German) "Above all the campaign is about the future of jobs and fighting unemployment. It has to do with finding a balance between modernisation or flexibility in the job market, on the one side and social responsibility on the other side, which has been decreasing. These will be the main topics, and along with the fact that the current government is used up. You can see that just by looking at the chancellor, who has seen better days." SUPER CAPTION: Gerhard Schroeder, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony His politics seem to reflect his role models, U-S President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. SOUNDBITE: (English) "What one can learn from Tony Blair is the connection between modernisation and social responsibility, something that also applies to Germany, must be adapted to our situation. These two subjects will define the tasks that lay before us." SUPER CAPTION: Gerhard Schroeder, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...