GERMANY: BAVARIAN PREMIER EDMUND STOIBER HAS KICKED OFF THE CONSERVATIVE ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH ATTACK ON GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER

Record ID: 647457

  • Title: GERMANY: BAVARIAN PREMIER EDMUND STOIBER HAS KICKED OFF THE CONSERVATIVE ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH ATTACK ON GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER
  • Date: 31st January 2002
  • Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (JANUARY 31, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. PAN FROM EXTERIOR MESSETURM OFFICE BUILDING TO STOIBER ELECTION POSTER 0.11 2. SV CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION (CDU) AND GERMAN FLAGS 0.19 3. SLV POLICE IN FRONT OF FESTHALLE BUILDING 0.25 4. SV/MCU OF BAVARIAN PRIME MINISTER AND CDU CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE EDMUND STOIBER ARRIVING FOR ELECTION RALLY WITH HIS WIFE KARIN AND THE HEAD OF THE CDU ANGELA MERKEL (3 SHOTS) 0.52 5. LV AUDIENCE CLAPPING 0.56 6. SV STOIBER WAVING/AUDIENCE CLAPPING (4 SHOTS) 1.21 7. SV CDU LEADER, ANGELA MERKEL, ON STAGE 1.26 8. SV STOIBER LISTENING 1.29 9. MCU (German) CDU LEADER, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Who does Schroeder want to govern with. I say Stoiber will come to replace Schroeder and Germanys demise will have an end." 1.40 10. SV WOMAN WAVING GERMAN FLAG 1.44 11. SLV STOIBER COMES ONTO STAGE, SHAKES MERKELS HANDS AND PROCEEDS TO PODIUM 1.59 12. LV OF AUDITORIUM 2.09 13. MCU (German) CDU CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE EDMUND STOIBER SAYING: "Schroeder led Germany to the last place in Europe. Now the German government might receive a European Union warning over its burgeoning budget deficit. I can only repeat what Angela Merkel and I have said in the past - The people in Germany have not deserved this" 2.33 14. LAS AUDIENCE CLAPPING 2.39 15. MCU (German) CDU CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE EDMUND STOIBER SAYING: "This is the signal from Frankfurt - CSU and CDU are betting on victory!" 2.48 16. LV AUDIENCE CLAPPING 2.56 17. MCU (German) CDU CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE EDMUND STOIBER SAYING: "Schroeder said at a SPD party congress in 1998 and again at other occasions - If we are not able to decrease unemployment drastically then we do not deserve to continue governing this country - Ladies and gentlemen, where he is right, he is right! 3.25 18. LV STAGE 3.34 19. MCU (German) CDU CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE EDMUND STOIBER SAYING: "The level of integration is the measure for immigration in Germany. With four million unemployed there is no great need for a gracious level of immigration in the near future." 3.49 20. MCU CAMERA OPERATOR 3.56 21. MCU (German) CDU CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE EDMUND STOIBER SAYING: "I assure you - As I have worked for my homeland Bavaria in the past eight years as its Prime Minister, I want to give everything for all of Germany with the same energy and passion" 4.20 22. MCU AUDIENCE CLAPPING 4.24 23. LV/MCU OF STOIBER AND MERKEL ON STAGE WAVING (3 SHOTS) 4.45 24. MCU AUDIENCE CHANTING: EDMUND, EDMUND, EDMUND 4.50 25. MCU OF STOIBER ON STAGE WAVING 5.02 26. SV AUDIENCE WITH POSTERS AND FLAGS 5.06 27. SLV STOIBER ON STAGE WAVING 5.08 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 15th February 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: FRANKFURT, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA41JDAAUNNB5KW146W3MUIWAP8
  • Story Text: Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber has kicked off the
    conservative election campaign with a fierce attack on German
    Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's management of the economy and a
    promise of tax cuts.



    At a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) rally in
    Frankfurt on Thursday (January 31), Bavarian Premier Edmund
    Stoiber lambasted his opponent for Germany's slide into
    recession.

    He also attacked German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for
    breaking his promise to cut unemployment to 3.5 million and
    criticised news of a warning from the European Commission
    about Germany's rising government deficit.

    Stoiber was chosen as the conservative candidate for the
    chancellorship earlier this month and, together with his
    Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel, launched a fierce
    assault on Schroeder and his ruling coalition of Social
    Democrats and ecologist Greens saying he had removed Germany
    from poll position in Europe to the bottom of the league.

    In what was apparently a move to show the conservatives
    had put aside their recent wrangle over who would be the
    party's challenger to Schroeder, Angela Merkel featured
    prominently in the party rally.

    Repeatedly interrupted by bouts of applause, Merkel urged
    all party members to back our dear Edmund Stoiber.

    "Who does Schroeder want to govern with. I say Stoiber
    will come to replace Schroeder and Germanys demise will have
    an
    end," Merkel told the rally.

    He said he would work closely with Merkel.

    Stoiber, who has repeatedly stressed the main issue in his
    election campaign would be Schroeders failure to revive the
    economy, promised tax cuts if he won the September 22 vote.

    "Schroeder led Germany to the last place in Europe. Now
    the German government might receive a European Union warning
    over
    its burgeoning budget deficit. I can only repeat what Angela
    Merkel and I have said in the past - The people in Germany
    have
    not deserved this," Stoiber told his flag waiving supporters.

    Stoiber is credited with a solid grasp of economic policy
    and has a strong record in managing his booming southern
    state.

    But analysts have questioned whether his hard-headed approach
    to the economy and his undisputed mastery of detail will be
    enough to conquer more of Germany than just his homeland.

    Party members, who had been buying their tickets for the
    official campaign launch so rapidly that all 4,000 were sold
    out within half an hour, seemed to like his rhetoric, and
    Stoiber knew how to reward their enthusiasm.

    "This is the signal from Frankfurt - CSU and CDU are
    betting on victory!" Stoiber said.

    Stoiber leads the CDUs smaller Bavarian sister party, the
    Christian Social Union, but was picked to lead the joint
    conservative challenge after polls showed he would have a
    greater chance of beating Schroeder than Merkel.

    Stoiber also repeated his tough stance on immigration,
    saying German did not want to invite in more foreigners who
    would be a risk to cohesion in society.

    "The level of integration is the measure for immigration
    in Germany. With four million unemployed there is no great
    need for
    a gracious level of immigration in the near future," Stoiber
    said.

    A small group of left-wing protesters were outside the
    venue branding him a racist. Most of them were students.

    But this did not deter either his or his supporters'
    jubilation.

    "I assure you - As I have worked for my homeland Bavaria
    in the past eight years as its prime minister, I want to give
    everything for all of Germany with the same energy and
    passion," Stoiber said.

    One of the demonstrators protesting outside said Stoiber
    did not understand that Germany was a country of immigration.

    The Social Democrat leader in the state of Hesser around
    Frankfurt, Gerhard Boekel, also attacked Stoiber accusing him
    of being irresponsible for raising the topic of immigration.


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