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Merkel party launches offensive against SPD candidate

By CHEN WEIHUA in Munich, Germany | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-09-13 10:34

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz at the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany June 9, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Armin Laschet, her Christian Democratic Union's chancellor candidate, have launched offensive against the Social Democratic Party, or SPD's, candidate Olaf Scholz, who leads national polls heading toward elections on Sept 26.

On Saturday in Nuremberg, Laschet attended the party conference of the Christian Social Union, or CSU, a Bavarian party that runs in national elections as the CDU's junior partner. He appeared on stage side by side with Markus Soder, who was reelected on Friday as the CSU's leader and is popular among many conservatives, but lost to Laschet in April in an effort to be the chancellor candidate for the CDU/CSU.

In his speech, Laschet emphasized their common interests and values and their strengths in defense, internal security and law and order.

He then blasted the SPD's Scholz, who is vice-chancellor and finance minister in Merkel's coalition government, for blocking the military from buying armed drones for fear of alienating potential left-wing allies in the Die Linke party.

Most SPD members in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, said they would prefer a left-wing coalition to a center-right coalition if they win.

"That's why it's so dangerous," said Laschet, who became the CDU leader in January and is governor of the most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. "Anyone who in foreign policy says no to NATO, who cannot even offer military protection in parliament, who rejected all EU treaties-those people can't have government responsibility."

Since Olaf has not ruled out a coalition that includes Die Linke, fearmongering about such a scenario has been a strategy used by the CDU/CSU, because most Germans prefer stability and continuity instead of radical change.

Laschet also criticized Scholz's record as mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018, during which there were protests in the city during the 2017 G20 summit.

He also criticized Scholz for lacking diligence in financial supervision after a raid on the Federal Ministry of Finance on Thursday.

"I hope that he soon clears this up and apologizes."

The German public prosecutor's office and police raided the ministries of finance and justice that day as part of a preliminary investigation related to suspicions of obstruction of justice against those responsible for the Financial Intelligence Unit in connection with money laundering.

Soder also appealed to his party to support Laschet.

"We don't want a left-wing slide in Germany, and for all the journalists taking notes, we want Armin Laschet as chancellor and not Olaf Scholz or Annalena Baerbock (of the Greens)," he said.

Last Tuesday Merkel took the opportunity of what is likely to have been her last address as chancellor to the Bundestag to support Laschet.

She lashed out at Scholz by citing his comments on COVID-19 vaccinations a week earlier when he said that about 50 million fully vaccinated Germans had in effect served as guinea pigs for those who were skeptical and had demonstrated it was safe.

"If we want to convince people (to get vaccinated), it must be with arguments and not images of guinea pigs," said Merkel, who will retire on Sept 26 after 16 years in power.

Agencies contributed to the story.

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