German election too close to call

Germany’s general election next month is now too close to call, two polls showed today.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been trailing his conservative challenger, Bavarian Edmund Stoiber, because of the anaemic economy and a jobless rate nearing 10%

But Schroeder regained ground by spearheading a government aid plan for victims of German flooding that caused billions of pounds worth of damage this month.

With Schroeder on the campaign trail in east Germany today, Stoiber pressed his attack on the government’s economic record and unveiled a 49 point catalogue of priority projects.

“We have to spark hope for an upswing already in the autumn,” he said. “The programme has a single goal: spurring economic growth, and the fight against unemployment.”

A poll for ARD television today showed support for the Social Democrats rising by three points to 39% over the past week, with the main opposition Christian Democrats stable at 41% .

Another poll put Schroeder’s party at 38% and the conservatives at 39%.

The election is on September 22