Rival to Merkel Is Officially Seeking Her Job

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/world/europe/social-democrats-formally-nominate-merkel-rival.html

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BERLIN — As if it weren’t challenging enough to run against a chancellor viewed as Europe’s most powerful leader, Angela Merkel’s main rival in next year’s national election has come under fire since his nomination for the nearly $1.7 million he earned from speaking fees in the past three years.

But Peer Steinbrück, who was formally nominated by the Social Democratic Party on Sunday to run for chancellor, demonstrated in a wide-ranging speech to party delegates that he was unwilling to let either hurdle hamper his campaign. He characterized Ms. Merkel as a dividing force who has isolated Germany from its European partners and whose policies have widened the rift between rich and poor.

Mr. Steinbrück is a 65-year-old economics expert who served as finance minister in Ms. Merkel’s first government, in coalition with the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2009, and he rejected another such tie-up of the country’s two main political parties.

“I am not available for a grand coalition,” Mr. Steinbrück said. “I want Germany to find a new, social equality. I want change instead of stagnation.”

His biting humor and sharp wit were on display at a convention convened for the purpose of formally electing him as the party’s candidate. But he also displayed a humble, more personal side, acknowledging the loss of support because of the scandal surrounding his private earnings.

“I thank you for bearing this burden for me and with me,” he told the more than 580 delegates. “I have not only had criticism from your ranks, but much solidarity — more than I ever thought I could expect.”

Long considered unpopular among Social Democratic women and the party’s more traditional, working-class left wing, Mr. Steinbrück reached out to them, emphasizing fair pay, social equality, education and increased regulation of financial markets as central issues for his campaign. It appeared to pay off, with more than 93 percent voting in his favor.

“Economic policy is only good as long as it helps people,” Mr. Steinbrück said. “The market has to justify itself before democratic and social life, and not the other way around.”

Germany is one of the few European countries not to have had a change of government since the start of the sovereign debt crisis in 2008. Most recently, French voters swung to the left, ushering in a Socialist president, François Hollande.

Whether Germans are ready to follow suit is unclear. In times of trouble, they have tended to avoid change, and Ms. Merkel is widely seen as having guarded German prosperity in the face of economic turbulence across Europe.

A survey published last week showed the chancellor’s ratings suffering a week after news broke that the second round of financial assistance to Greece would cost German taxpayers 700 million euros, or about $905 million.

Analysts said they were not sure the Social Democrats’ focus on social justice would be enough to unseat Ms. Merkel.

“They found an issue that they can use to win points against the conservatives,” said Karl-Rudolf Korte, a professor of political science at Duisburg-Essen University. “Whether they can succeed in making it relevant in a year that will be more focused on security than justice will be the big question.”