The Local Germany

Merkel rival urges Berlin voters to help change

Fri, 20 Sep 2013 10:30:00 +0200

Angela Merkel's election rival Peer Steinbrück urged voters in Berlin on Thursday to swing behind his bid to usher in a more socially fair Germany by toppling the chancellor.

Green vote in freefall while SPD makes gains

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 13:44:00 +0200

The Green Party has dropped to its lowest share of the vote in four years in the latest election poll released on Wednesday, which also shows the Social Democratic Party (SPD) making a slight gain on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU.

Election rivals to face off in TV debate

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 12:39:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will come face-to-face in a television clash Sunday with her centre-left election opponent, confronting Peer Steinbrück whom she has studiously ignored on the campaign trail.

Steinbrück attacks Merkel's euro ideals

Mon, 19 Aug 2013 19:04:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's struggling rival in next month's general election attempted to revive his campaign at the weekend by attacking her euro policy at his biggest rally to date.

Spying fears prompt talk of cabinet phone ban

Tue, 06 Aug 2013 17:20:00 +0200

Fear of being snooped on by the US secret service would see mobile phones banned from cabinet meetings if the opposition wins September's election, Chancellor Angela Merkel's rival said on Tuesday.

Opposition gun for Merkel on spying claims

Tue, 16 Jul 2013 10:27:00 +0200

Ten weeks before German elections, Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-left rivals have gone on the attack over reports of sweeping US online surveillance and German cooperation, sparked by fugitive intelligence analyst Edward Snowden.

Merkel election win 'likely but uncertain'

Fri, 21 Jun 2013 09:33:00 +0200

Soaring in the polls and heading Germany's strongest party, Angela Merkel seems without rival three months ahead of elections, but political analysts say that victory is by no means certain for the chancellor.

Centre-left SPD party plummet in polls

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:02:00 +0200

It's been a tough few days for Social Democrat chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück. At the weekend he made headlines for crying at a party event and just three months before the election, support for his party is at an all-year low.

Steinbrück cries on stage at wife's sympathy

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:28:00 +0200

Social Democrat chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück was driven to tears on stage by his wife's support at a meeting of his party at the weekend. He has faced months of negative media attention.

Struggling Merkel rival Steinbrück fires PR man

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:54:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's embattled main challenger Peer Steinbrück in September elections fired his spokesman Monday after months of dismal poll ratings and a series of costly gaffes.

Merkel opens up privately ahead of election

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:41:00 +0200

With national elections just months away, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has begun to reveal more about her personal life, from her Polish roots to her weakness for men with "nice eyes."

'It's time Germany got over its speed fetish'

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:58:00 +0200

Suggesting speed limits for the autobahn is as politically toxic in Germany as gun control is in America. But it's time to hit the brakes on the country's reckless driving culture, comments The Local's Ben Knight.

Merkel rival Steinbrück rallies SPD: 'So to battle!'

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:08:00 +0200

Germany's main opposition candidate for dethroning Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Sunday to push his campaign harder amid lowly poll forecasts.

Clowns, Berlin Wall luxury and whiny soldiers

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:45:00 +0100

In this week's Weekly News Podcast, The Local's Ben Knight contends with clownish chancellor candidates, the second fall of the Berlin Wall for luxury flats, and Germany's allegedly whiny soldiers.

Pro-Steinbrück blog dies after hack attack

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:39:00 +0100

A blog written in support of Social Democratic chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück has been taken offline after being repeatedly attacked by hackers and being subject to suggestions it broke German election funding rules.

Steinbrück tells Merkel: Give Greece a chance

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:48:00 +0100

Greece must be given time to clean up its troubled finances, Peer Steinbrück, Chancellor Angela Merkel's main challenger in elections later this year, said on Wednesday.

Steinbrück's approval ratings collapse

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:55:00 +0100

The approval ratings of Peer Steinbrück, the Social Democratic Party's challenger to Angela Merkel in this year's general election, collapsed further in an opinion poll published Friday. One in four SPD voters even want a new candidate.

Steinbrück defends low wage Chancellor remark

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 14:56:00 +0100

Social Democrat challenger to Chancellor Angela Merkel Peer Steinbrück on Saturday stood by his comments last week that Germany's leader was not paid enough - despite widespread scorn over his perceived obsession with money.

Steinbrück: Merkel gets 'women's bonus' in polls

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 12:33:00 +0100

Peer Steinbrück, SPD challenger to Angela Merkel in next year's election, has committed a second PR blunder in two days. After complaining that chancellors get paid too little, he said Merkel's popularity was down to a "women's bonus."

Steinbrück pressured over law firm payments

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Peer Steinbrück, the Social Democratic Party's candidate for the chancellorship, is under pressure over official payments made to a law firm while he was finance minister. He later gave a speech to the firm for a fee of €15,000.