Germany’s Lafontaine Says Schroeder Should Quit, Spiegel Says

Oskar Lafontaine, a former German finance minister and chairman of the Social Democratic Party, said Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder should resign, adding that he will support a protest movement against Schroeder’s policies, the Spiegel weekly magazine reported.

Asked in an interview whether he wants Schroeder to be replaced, Lafontaine said: Of course. It can't go on with Schroeder.'' Schroeder's policies, which include increased pressure on the unemployed to accept low-paid jobs and reduced workers' rights against dismissal, arecatastrophic,’’ as they caused record unemployment and government deficits, he said.

A new leftist'' movement will emerge should Schroeder, who resigned as SPD chairman in February, continue with his policies until federal elections in 2006, Lafontaine said. The movement will seek to take back reductions in social benefits andwill be supported by me,’’ he said.

Support for Schroeder’s SPD was at 26 percent in a Forsa poll of 2,504 voters published July 28. The opposition Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, won the support of 43 percent of voters. The poll was conducted between July 19 and July 23. Its margin of error was 2.5 percentage points. (Bloomberg)

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