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Social Democrats launch election campaign against conservatives

Party leader Saskia Esken attacks opponents' record

The Social Democrats in Germany launched their election campaign on Saturday with a pledge to tackle climate change, social inequality and the coronavirus pandemic, accusing their conservative rivals of mishandling all three crises.

'Schnapps' and anecdotes

Party leader Saskia Esken fired the opening salvo at a rally in the western city of Cologne, where she accused the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), of presiding over a decade of rising poverty, widening inequality and inaction on climate change.

"The CDU/CSU has failed on all fronts," Esken told a cheering crowd, adding that the Social Democrats would offer voters a "clear alternative" in the September 26 election.

In a nod to the party's traditional working-class base, Esken began her speech by offering the audience a shot of "Schnapps" and regaling them with anecdotes about her childhood in the former communist East Germany.

Climate change and 'social justice'

But she quickly pivoted to the issues that the party believes will resonate most with voters, including climate change and "social justice."

"We must act now to protect our planet for future generations," Esken said, pledging to make Germany carbon-neutral by 2045, five years earlier than the current target.

She also vowed to raise the minimum wage, expand affordable housing and invest in education and healthcare.

"We want to build a fair and just society where everyone has a chance to succeed," Esken said.

'A clear alternative'

The Social Democrats are the main opposition party in Germany and are currently polling behind the CDU/CSU in the run-up to the election.

But Esken expressed confidence that the party could win back voters who have drifted away in recent years.

"We are the only party that offers a clear alternative to the failed policies of the CDU/CSU," she said.

"We are the party of hope, the party of change, the party that will build a better future for all Germans."