The German chancellor's main rival in upcoming elections has upped the rhetoric, accusing Merkel of being out of touch. The SPD chief said he wanted to save Germany from a "period of stagnation and political agony."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen
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Martin Schulz, who heads the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), honed his criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, saying she is "aloof" and out of touch with voters ahead of key parliamentary elections in September.
"More and more people are noticing how aloof she is," Schulz told German public broadcaster ARD. "That's the kind of aloofness that will mobilize my voters."
With four weeks left until the vote, Schulz has attempted to close the gap between the SPD and Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU). The latest DeutschlandTrend survey put the CDU and its Bavarian sister party CSU ahead with 38 percent, while the SPD trailed at 22 percent.
Since announcing the former European Parliament president's candidacy for chancellor, the SPD has struggled to make gains on Merkel's CDU. But Schulz warned that Merkel has "no plan at all" to deal with key issues such as pollution caused by diesel emissions, which affects cities like Stuttgart.
German election campaign placards
Authentic? Xenophobic? Frumpy? These are just some of the words being used to describe this year's election campaign posters. DW takes a look at how the main parties are hoping to woo voters with their poster campaigns.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/B.Pedersen
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
After three terms in office, Chancellor Angela Merkel is no stranger to election posters. With a budget of 20 million euros, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is pinning up some 22,000 placards across Germany. The use of a deconstructed German flag brings out the party's patriotism, while the main focus of slogans is on issues such as security, family and work.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/B.Pedersen
Social Democrats (SPD)
The Social Democrats are keeping it classic with their long-time red, square logo. Posters concentrate on topics such as education, family, pension, investment and wage inequality. At the end of their 24-million-euro campaign, the SPD is planning a final crusade ahead of election day, which still remains under wraps.
Free Democratic Party (FDP)
More than 5 million euros have been spent on the liberal FDP's poster campaign. With their black and white photoshoot, the FDP have gone for thoroughly modern marketing, with one man at the center: Christian Lindner. Voters, however, will have a hard time reading the text heavy posters. "Impatience is also a virtue," reads the slogan.
The Green Party
The Greens have remained faithful to their cause and focused on classic topics such as the environment, integration and peace. "Environment isn't everything. But without the environment, everything is nothing," says the slogan. A mainstay on all of the posters is the party's sunflower logo.
Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The prize for most controversial placards goes, without doubt, to the right-wing AfD. From afar, the poster showing a smiling, pregnant woman seems innocent until the slogan becomes legible: "New Germans? We make them ourselves." In another poster, set against the background image of three bikini-clad women, the AfD asks: "Burkas? We like bikinis."
The Left Party
The Left party have certainly given their best to use as many fonts as possible. In a combination of font and wordplay, this slogan one reads: "[Colorful] People. Decisively against right-wing hate." Affordable rents, fairer pensions and an end to arms exports are the main issues for the leftist party.
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'Stagnation and political agony'
Schulz said that Merkel's behavior reminded him of the way former Chancellor Helmut Kohl lost touch with voters during his fourth term in the late 1990s.
"The last four years of the Kohl era were a period of stagnation and political agony. I want to spare Germany that again," Schulz said.
Merkel, who avoided taking jabs at the SPD challenger during a Sunday interview with ZDF, is seeking a fourth term as chancellor.
According to the latest polls, both parties are expected to fall short of an outright majority. Schulz said the SPD is not interested in once again being a junior coalition partner with Merkel's CDU.
