SPD saves face in Berlin but CDU comes out on top

Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's Social Democrats (SPD) were enjoying some sorely needed breathing space last night after the party averted disaster in a state election in Berlin. The SPD retained its position as the second-largest party in the German capital, although its 22.4 per cent share of the vote was the worst result in Berlin in the party's history.

The Christian Democrats (CDU) were the clear victors in the election, capturing more than 40 per cent of the vote - an increase of 3 per cent since the last state election. The formerly communist Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) emerged as the strongest party in the east of the city but remained in third place overall with just over 17 per cent.

Mr Schroder's coalition partners in the Greens saw their vote fall by 3 per cent to 10 per cent, while the Liberal Free Democrats and the parties of the extreme right failed to make any impact.

Berlin's governing mayor, Mr Eberhard Diepgen, welcomed the result as a clear victory for his Christian Democrats and signalled that he would seek to continue the grand coalition with the Social Democrats that has governed Berlin for the past five years. The SPD's leading candidate in the city, Mr Walter Momper, acknowledged that the result represented a defeat for his party but insisted that its 1 per cent drop in support showed that the federal government had turned the corner in terms of popularity, saying that the "SPD losses have been held in check".

His party colleague, Mr Klaus Boeger, blamed the chancellor for the SPD's poor showing in the city, which follows heavy losses for the party in five other states since Mr Schroder came to power. "We had a very strong wind blowing against us from the federal government. It's hard to imagine having a harder time than we had even though we made plenty of mistakes of our own," he said.

The Greens indicated that they would push for more of their policies to be implemented by the federal government in the coming months, particularly on partnership rights for gays, better treatment for asylum-seekers and a swift end to nuclear power in Germany.

Yesterday's election demonstrates that, 10 years after the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the German capital remains a politically divided city. The Christian Democrats won almost half of the votes in the west of the city but just over a quarter in the east. The former communist PDS were the clear winners in the east, with almost 26 per cent but polled less than 5 per cent in the west.

The PDS candidate, Ms Petra Pau, hailed her party's gains as evidence that the former communists, who were expected to disappear in the wake of German unification, have become a permanent feature.

Last night's result came as the Defence Minister, Mr Rudolf Scharping, denied that he coveted Mr Schroder's job, although he did not rule out a future challenge.

"I believe I am capable of a number of things, but that doesn't mean that I am pursuing everything," he said.