Voting begins in German election with race open
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-09-18 15:29

For Merkel, a quietly determined politician from the formerly communist east with none of Schroeder's electioneering charisma, victory would make her one of the most powerful leaders in Europe 15 years after she entered politics following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Schroeder has thrown himself into campaigning with a drive that has rocked his opponents and raised the possibility that the SPD may be able to salvage something from the election even if Schroeder himself steps down.

That in itself would be a formidable achievement for a leader apparently facing oblivion when he announced in May that he would be seeking the election a year ahead of schedule.

HIGH STAKES

For Germany and the rest of Europe, the stakes in the election are high.

Some five million Germans are out of work, the country's pensions system is in crisis, its public finances are overstretched and the economy that once drove growth in Europe is now acting as a drag on the rest of the continent.

Analysts say that if Germany succeeds in pushing through reforms, they could be a model for change in the rest of Europe.

Surveys show that most Germans believe the system needs changing but they are deeply uncertain about how far the changes should go and how the burden should be shared.

Schroeder's own "Agenda 2010" reforms to welfare and labor market rules have been the most ambitious attempt to overhaul the social security system in decades.

They have been attacked by the conservatives and by some commentators as not going far enough.

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