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Photo Credit: L. CSU Horst Seehofer, R. Chancellor Angela Merkel
Reuters/M. Dalder |
With Germany's national elections only a few months away, Germany's traditional end-of-Carnival
"Political Ash Wednesday" events set the tone for each party's upcoming campaigns. The
typical rhetorical restraint used by German politicians is thrown out
of the window during the annual, beer-fueled rallies held by Germany's
political parties. Instead, prominent German politicians rail against
their opponents in cutting speeches rife with colorful insults. Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-left challenger,
Martin Schulz,
fired up the crowd at the Social Democratic Party's (SPD) rally in the
Bavarian town of Vilshofen. A crowd of around 5,000 SPD politicians and
supporters waved signs bearing Schulz's name and greeted his speech with
chants of: "Martin, Martin, Martin!" Schulz emphasized that the SPD was entering the 2017 election
campaign "to become the strongest political force in Germany" and that
he intended to unseat Merkel as the next chancellor. The SPD
candidate also had some strong words for Merkel's conservative union
between her Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party,
the Christian Social Union (CSU). He called the union a "forced
marriage," saying: "they don't talk to each other, they talk over each
other - they've lost their marbles." He also targeted US
President Donald Trump, saying that whoever attacks the media, "calls
women's rights into question" or "slanders those with impairments,
disabilities or minorities" must be criticized.
CSU: 'Bavaria First'
Meanwhile, a few kilometers away in Passau,
CSU head Horst Seehofer echoed Trump's policy in his own push to make "Bavaria First" in Germany. "Bavaria
has the highest mountain in Germany and the lowest debt. Bavaria is
special, Bavaria is a paradise," Seehofer told the beer-drinking crowd
of 4,000 people. Although Seehofer renewed his call for a yearly cap on refugees - a
position that Merkel strongly opposes - he voiced his support for the
German chancellor during his Ash Wednesday speech. "As someone
who has always loved to debate and argue and will always do so, I say to
you: I know of no one other than Angela Merkel who can lead Germany on
these global matters," Seehofer told the crowd. Seehofer also targeted Schulz in his speech, warning the SPD candidate
to use accurate statistical figures while campaigning, lest he come to
be known as "Schulz the cheater" in Bavaria. Merkel is due to speak later during the CDU's Ash Wednesday rally in her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Germany's national elections are set to take place on September 24. rs/jm (AP, AFP, dpa)
DW Photo
