GERMANY: Foreign minister and chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier vows to fight for every vote

Record ID: 212740

  • Title: GERMANY: Foreign minister and chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier vows to fight for every vote
  • Date: 26th September 2009
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 25, 2009) (REUTERS) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE OF THE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY (SPD), FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER WALKING PAST IN CROWD, SEEN ON VIDEO WALL PLACARD IN CROWD READING "BANKERS WOULD VOTE FOR MERKEL"
  • Embargoed: 11th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEVH27268Q7QQ3Q8Y2U1HS8MYQ
  • Story Text: German Foreign Minister and chancellor candidate of the Social Democrat (SPD) party vows to fight to the last second for every vote in Sunday's federal election.
    In one of his most forceful speeches of the German election campaign, Foreign Minister and chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier vowed on Friday evening (September 25) to fight to the last second for every vote.
    Chancellor Angela Merkel's hopes of forming a new centre-right government suffered a blow on Friday, two days before the federal election, as a new opinion poll showed her just short of her goal.
    While she attended a G20 summit in Pittsburgh, her Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Steinmeier delivered a rousing speech to thousands of supporters at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, telling them "I firmly believe that this country can do better."

    "I believe in it and that's why I am standing here. I am ready."
    A Forsa poll showed 26 percent of voters were still undecided, suggesting Germany could be in for another cliffhanger election.
    Merkel's conservatives saw a similar poll lead nearly vanish on election day four years ago when Steinmeier's mentor, then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, mounted a furious comeback in the final days before the vote.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register