Schröder's Wife Targets Merkel

The wife of Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, yesterday rebuked her husband's conservative challenger, Angela Merkel, saying she had done nothing to help German women.

As a new poll showed Mr Schröder starting to close on his rival in the election race, Doris Schröder-Kopf said Mrs Merkel had been a disaster as minister for women, a post she held in 1991-94, and had done nothing to encourage Germans to have more children.

"I experienced this period as a single mother who was working as well, as a political journalist. And I know that there was no help from Frau Merkel," she told the magazine Bunte. "The result is well known: among female academics of my generation, 40% don't have children. Frau Merkel was responsible for one of the most important areas for our future. She clearly failed."

Her remarks came as a new poll suggests the September 18 election is set for a close finish. Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrat party is still comfortably ahead with 42% of the vote, together with 6% for the FDP, a centre-right coalition partner. But Mr Schröder's SPD is up three points at 34%.