Political in-fighting
January 9, 2010
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come under fire from members of her own party, the Christian Democrats (CDU). They accuse her of neglecting the conservative party and say that she was lucky to have been reelected.
In a joint editorial in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung weekly newspaper, the parliamentary heads of the CDU-led states of Hesse, Saxony and Thuringia, along with the deputy head of the CDU in Brandenburg's state parliament, accused Merkel of taking on a "presidential style" of leadership that benefited her but not her party.
"During the election campaign, the chancellor did not act as the leader of the conservatives, she acted as the chancellor of the grand coalition," they wrote in the editorial.
From 2005 to 2009, Merkel led a coalition of conservatives and center-left Social Democrats (SPD). The SPD was forced out of office when the conservatives won enough votes in September national elections to form a center-right government with the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP).
"The chancellor's presidential style made her popular, but did not create much identification with the party," the four said. "The governing majority for conservatives and the FDP was not the result of a convincing electoral strategy. The conservatives were basically just lucky," they said.
Sagging popularity
The comments come as support for Merkel has plunged to its lowest level in three years, according to an opinion poll published on Friday that also showed a majority opposed to her government's tax cut plans.
The tax issue has also caused waves within the CDU, with the party calling for a crisis summit with its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, and the FDP for the end of January.
CDU parliamentarian Wolfgang Bosbach has defended Merkel, insisting the chancellor has kept calm and acted reasonably throughout what has been a tough political climate over the last three months.
"Every sharp word would serve to dramatize the situation rather than defuse it," he told RBB-Inforadio on Saturday.
The government's handling of a deadly airstrike in Afghanistan, which has seen the resignation of several figures within the CDU, including the former defense minister, has also led to criticism of Merkel during the initial months of her second term.
Social Democrats secretary general Andrea Nahles said the current CDU-FDP government had already been beset by more conflict than had the former CDU-SPD government.
The Greens have also used the opportunity to attack the Christian Democrats. Renate Kuenast, who co-leads the Greens in the German parliament, has said that under the new government there had been "no plans for new jobs in the renewable energies sector, no improvements in education - but rather puzzling tax promises."
dfm/Reuters/AFPE
Editor: Wilhelmina Lyffyt