Social Democratic challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier followed up an assured performance in a pre-election debate by accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday of lacking substance and new ideas. Steinmeier's SPD have been trailing Merkel's conservatives in opinion polls for months and moved quickly to try to build momentum from Sunday's US-style televised showdown before a September 27 federal election.
In one of his strongest attacks on his conservative rival to date, Steinmeier slammed Merkel for claiming credit for the ideas of others, telling an SPD party magazine: "That gives the appearance of looking clever, but is completely devoid of substance." Steinmeier was praised in the German media for his performance in the debate, where he appeared confident and relaxed as he attacked Merkel on her tax plans, resistance to a minimum wage and support for nuclear power.
The chancellor, by contrast, appeared edgy and had several testy exchanges with the TV moderators who pressed her to be more confrontational, reminding her the debate was supposed to be a "duel" not a "duet". Merkel's conservatives enjoy a double digit lead over the SPD but any weakening in support over the final weeks could doom their chances of forming a centre-right government with their preferred partners, the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP).
Merkel had a similar lead in 2005 but lost a debate to then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder weeks before the vote. Her party ended up beating the SPD by just one percentage point - a result which forced the rival parties into an awkward "grand coalition" government together.
Nervous members of her conservatives privately expressed concern on Monday about Merkel's uneven performance in the TV showdown, with one lawmaker saying she was "not fierce enough" and another worrying that she had failed to make clear why she wanted to form a coalition with the FDP. Top-selling conservative tabloid Bild deemed Steinmeier the winner of the debate, but said the restrained nature of the clash suggested both candidates would be happy to work together again after the election.
Snap polls released after the debate showed viewers were divided on who had won the confrontation, which was watched by 14.2 million viewers, down from 21 million in 2005 when Merkel debated Schroeder. Steinmeier has served as foreign minister in Merkel's awkward right-left coalition for the past four years, and the rivals have mostly shied away from partisan attacks.