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Merkel warns against over-confidence ahead of September election
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Aug 17, 2013 07:33pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Erik Kirschbaum |
| Media | Website - Yahoo News |
| News Date | Sunday, August 18, 2013 01:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel warned her supporters on Saturday against complacency ahead of the September 22 election, voicing fears that three leftist parties could unexpectedly join forces to oust her center-right coalition after ballots are counted.
Even though Merkel's conservatives hold a 16-point lead over the Social Democrats (SPD) in opinion polls, the chancellor told a rally in Cloppenburg the SPD might still break a vow and form a coalition with the ostracized far left "Linke", or Left Party.
The SPD and Greens, who have ruled out a coalition with the Left, trail Merkel's center-right coalition by about eight points in polls. But the ruling coalition fears the SPD and Greens will ignore past promises and form a government with the Left, popular in the east and on 8 percent in voter surveys.
"Those who think the election is already in the bag and Merkel will still be chancellor no matter what might be in for a rude awakening after the polls close," Merkel said, speaking in Lower Saxony state where her Christian Democrats lost power to the SPD and Greens in a stunning upset in January.
"Those who think this election is already won might wake up and see Germany has a government with the Left Party in it," she added, articulating the governing coalition's fear that the lure of power could be too strong for the SDP.
The Left traces its origins to the Communist Party in the former East Germany and has been ostracized by other mainstream parties. |
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