Legislative Election in Germany (1998)

After the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, the unemployment rate in Germany rose from 4.2% to 9.4% in 1998, with the Federal Labor Office registering more than 4 million unemployed. A united Germany had to struggle with economic and domestic difficulties, even taking an active part in the European integration project. Most people blamed the central legal coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union (CDU / CSU) and the FDP for economic difficulties. For a long time, the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl was regarded by many as not fully implemented unification after eight years due to mass protests in many East German cities due to job losses and reduced social welfare.

The 1998 campaign began with a survey of the CDU and SPD who will lead their parties. It was rumored that Helmut Kohl would resign and allow Wolfgang Schäuble to head the CDU , but these rumors were refuted when Kohl announced in April 1997 that he would run for chancellor for a sixth term. The two candidates for the post of chancellor of the SPD were Oscar Lafontaine , party chairman, and Gerhard Schroeder, minister-president of Lower Saxony.

On March 1, 1998, Schroeder led the SPD to victory in elections in Lower Saxony . Schroeder announced that he had withdrawn his application for nomination if he received less than 42% of the vote. In the 1998 general election, Schroeder won 47.9% ^[2] . After these elections, Lafontaine withdrew, and Schroeder was appointed in May 1998. For the SPD, Schroeder became the new face of the party. He gave the party a new power, which was lacking in the CDU after Kohl announced his candidacy. Many in the CDU doubted whether Kohl had made the right choice for the party.

The CDU campaign was based on Kohl's experience and reputation. One of the main slogans of the CDU was “Safety, not Risks”. “Kohl used his acquaintance and experience, as well as his status as the longest head of government in Europe” ^[2] . On the other hand, the SPD campaigned using strategies developed in the United States and Great Britain . The SPD set up an election headquarters and introduced “swift squads” similar to those used by Bill Clinton in his successful presidential election in 1992 ^[3] . The SPD avoided direct attacks on Kohl, but rather focused on their message from the “new center” ^[3] .

Two factions in the Greens, fundamentalists and pragmatists, have had problems arising on their platform since the founding of the Greens.

The main problem of the 1998 campaign was unemployment. In 1996, the unemployment rate in Germany exceeded the "limit" of the government - 4 million unemployed. Both sides blamed high labor costs, high taxes and high social costs as the cause of the problem. During the campaign, Schroeder used this question against Kohl, calling him “the chancellor of unemployment.” Unemployment was worst in the former East Germany. While the national rate was 9.4 percent, the former East Germany suffered from unemployment at 20 percent. Many in former East Germany accused Kohl of slow economic recovery.

Another problem was the reform of tax and social systems in Germany. While the CDU / CSU proposed a reduction in health benefits and pensions, the Bundesrat-controlled SPD ensured the adoption of the bill. The proposed bill also offers tax incentives that were supposed to benefit the rich, which opposed the SPD. While Kohl constantly raised the issue of European integration, this question did not fit the minds of voters. Schroeder, on the other hand, almost ignored this question. Many voters in Germany had other problems besides the European Union .