GERMANY: Angela Merkel campaigns for Lower Saxony state premier ahead of regional elections

Record ID: 213847

  • Title: GERMANY: Angela Merkel campaigns for Lower Saxony state premier ahead of regional elections
  • Date: 17th January 2013
  • Summary: OLDENBURG, GERMANY (JANUARY 17, 2013) (REUTERS) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL AND LOWER SAXONY STATE PREMIER DAVID McALLISTER OF THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS (CDU) ARRIVING FOR CAMPAIGN RALLY AHEAD OF SUNDAY'S STATE ELECTIONS, SHAKING HANDS WITH CHEERING SUPPORTERS CDU SUPPORTERS HOLDING UP PLACARDS READING "I'M A MAC" MERKEL AND McALLISTER WAVING TO SUPPORTERS FROM STAGE SMALL BOY ON MAN'S SHOULDERS WAVING "I'M A MAC" PLACARD MERKEL WALKING TO PODIUM WIDE OF MERKEL ON PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "We can only keep our wealth if we are part of the best in the world. If we are average, we fall back. That's why it's so important that Lower Saxony in the last ten years paid so much towards research, towards universities, colleges of higher education and towards a good school education." WIDE OF MERKEL ON PODIUM MERKEL LEAVING PODIUM AND EMBRACING McALLISTER CHEERING SUPPORTERS HOLDING UP PLACARDS VARIOUS OF McALLISTER ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (German) LOWER SAXONY STATE PREMIER, DAVID McALLISTER, SAYING: "We are extremely motivated. We are all electrified after we caught up so much. Now that we are in the process of taking over, it's clear: we want to win and we will win on January 20." WIDE OF McALLISTER ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 1st February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA35LKSJV1GZ8Z15OHDXHCDY9AG
  • Story Text: German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported Lower Saxony's state premier David McAllister during his final campaign rally in the northern city of Oldenburg late on Thursday (January 17) where thousands of Christian Democrat (CDU) supporters had gathered in a local hall.
    "We can only keep our wealth if we are part of the best in the world. If we are average, we fall back. That's why it's so important that Lower Saxony in the last ten years paid so much towards research, towards universities, colleges of higher education and towards a good school education," Merkel said.
    Incumbent state premier McAllister told cheering supporters "We want to win and we will win on January 20."
    McAllister, a 42-year-old married father of two, grew up in West Berlin as the son of a Scottish soldier father and German mother. It is a heritage he seems keen to play on, especially on the campaign trail. Bagpipe music features in his campaign video, stalls at his rallies offer up tartan scarves and "I'm a Mac" flyers and McAllister has exchanged warm visits with Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond.
    Bigger than the Netherlands, with which it shares a border, Lower Saxony is Germany's second-largest state by area, stretching from the North Sea to the edge of what used to be communist East Germany.
    It is home to carmaker Volkswagen and hundreds of "Mittlestand", small-to-medium sized companies that form the backbone of Europe's largest economy.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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