GERMANY: Free Democrats (FDP) call on voters to support their centre-right coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) in upcoming general elections

Record ID: 214060

  • Title: GERMANY: Free Democrats (FDP) call on voters to support their centre-right coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) in upcoming general elections
  • Date: 20th September 2013
  • Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 20, 2013) (REUTERS) WIDE OF FREE DEMOCRATS (FDP) RALLY ON SQUARE FDP SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER FOR FDP, HANS-DIETRICH GENSCHER, ARRIVING AT RALLY AND SHAKING HANDS WITH FDP LEADER PHILIPP ROESLER AND FDP CANDIDATE RAINER BRUEDERLE FDP SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING GENSCHER PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES GENSCHER ARRIVING ON STAGE FDP SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (German) FORMER FDP FOREIGN MINISTER, HANS-DIETRICH GENSCHER, SAYING: "These 4 years of the government of FDP and CDU/CSU were good years. But, Ladies and Gentleman, the chancellor (Merkel) is not chancellor for 4 years, but for 8 years and if you can detect that of this 8 years the last 4 were the better ones, then you should stick to this combination and not come back to the other one." MAN WITH CIGAR APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (German) FREE DEMOCRATS (FDP) LEADER, PHILIPP ROESLER, SAYING: "Depending at what time you meet Sigmar Gabriel (SPD leader) in Berlin, he is in favour or against it." FDP SUPPORTERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) FREE DEMOCRATS (FDP) LEADER, PHILIPP ROESLER, SAYING: "It doesn't depend on what he has eaten before, this seems to be quite a bit...We have published a book, which is called 'One Gabriel for every opportunity'. Because he changes his opinion according to his audience, and I think this is the wrong style for German politics." MAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPH FDP LEADERS ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 5th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9NI66BIFE6M87JTJOFAKCQIS
  • Story Text: The Free Democrats on Friday (September 20) called on voter's to support their party in order to continue the centre-right coalition with the Christian Democrats (CDU).
    Former FDP foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher joined party leader Philipp Roesler and main candidate Rainer Bruederle at the rally in Frankfurt, praising the centre-right coalition as 'good years'.
    "But, Ladies and Gentleman, the chancellor (Merkel) is not chancellor for 4 years, but for 8 years and if you can detect that of this 8 years the last 4 were the better ones, then you should stick to this combination and not come back to the other one," Genscher said, hinting at the grand coalition of CDU and Social Democrats (SPD).
    FDP leader Philipp Roesler blamed the SPD party leader Sigmar Gabriel of not giving out a clear position to voters.
    "We have published a book, which is called 'One Gabriel for every opportunity'. Because he changes his opinion according to his audience, and I think this is the wrong style for German politics," Roesler said.
    Latest polls show the CDU/FDP coalition ahead of the combined leftist opposition by a 45-44 percent margin. The opinion poll by the Emnid institute for Bild am Sonntag newspaper was released on Friday ahead of Sunday's election.
    The Emnid poll also showed support for the eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party unchanged at 4 percent, or just below the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in parliament.
    The Emnid poll found the centre-right coalition at 45 percent with Merkel's conservatives steady on 39 percent and the FDP gaining 1 point to 6 percent since the last Emnid poll published on Sept. 15. The main opposition Social Democrats (SPD) were unchanged at 26 percent while their allies, the environmentalist Greens, were down 1 point to 9 percent. The hardline Left party was unchanged at 9 percent in the poll.
    Other polls published on Friday and this week point to a tight result on Sunday, increasing the likelihood of a Merkel-led right-left "grand coalition" government. Forsa and the Allensbach institutes, in separate polls on Friday, showed the centre-right at level pegging with the leftist opposition.
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