Schroeder rebuffed by German voters

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was rebuffed by German voters in a crushing defeat for his party in two state elections, which conservatives read as a clear signal to allies, especially Washington, that voters reject his isolationist course on the question of war with Iraq.

Slumping to lows not seen in decades, the Social Democrats lost control of councils in Schroeder’s home state of Lower Saxony to the conservative Christian Democrats, which also sharply increased its governing majority in Hesse state.

Though the defeat turned heavily on dissatisfaction with tax hikes and Germany’s grim economic picture, it also demonstrated the limits of the strident anti-war stance that helped Schroeder narrowly win re-election in September.

The conservative party’s leader, Angela Merkel, expressed satisfaction that “people in Germany refused to be seduced a second time by a mood of fear” that she accused Schroeder of exploiting at the expense of the country’s reliability as a US ally.

“This is an important signal to the European allies and to the American government,” Merkel said.

“I think much is at stake for German foreign policy,” she went on. “I myself represent a policy of our Christian Democrats in which we hold important friendship with the United States not just out of gratitude but because of the long-term security of Europe and Germany.”

Schroeder has ruled out German participation in a military campaign against Iraq and campaigned saying Germany would refuse to back a resolution authorising war in the UN Security Council, which it is chairing in February.

Backed by polls showing that most Germans oppose a war, the Social Democrats insisted Schroeder would stick to his stance.

“The government is acting in line with the deepest worries of the population, and it will continue to do so in the future,” said Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrats’ secretary-general.

There was no immediate comment from Schroeder, who spent election day, yesterday, with his wife in the Lower Saxony capital of Hanover, where he governed for more than eight years before becoming Chancellor.

But the conservatives, who said they avoided raising the Iraq issue during the campaign to avoid being branded warmongers, signalled that they now intend to sharpen the tone of Germany’s debate over Iraq.

“In final results, the Christian Democrats grabbed 48% of the vote in Lower Saxony from 36% in the last election five years ago. The Social Democrats were at 33%, down from nearly 48% last time.

In Hesse, the Christian Democrats won 49% compared to 39% in 1999, with the Social Democrats slumping to 29% from 39%. With a one-seat majority, the Christian Democrats have the chance to drop the Free Democratic allies and govern alone.

Compared with the federal election, the crash for Schroeder’s party was especially dramatic: in September, the Social Democrats won 47.8% in Lower Saxony and 39.7% in Hesse.