Strong showing by Schröder on TV boosts his chances

Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor, improved his prospects of returning to power with a solid and authoritative performance in the country's second and last television debate last night.

Maintaining his opposition to any German involvement in an American-inspired war on Iraq, he insisted that "peace or war" was a difference of principle and should not damage the underlying friendship and alliance between Germany and the United States.

The debate was held two weeks before election day, with polls showing Mr Schröder's Social Democrat party and the centre-right alliance of Edmund Stoiber tied. The "duel by television" left the campaign as open as it was before, promising a frantic last fortnight of campaigning.

Mr Stoiber was still able to use persistent high unemployment against Mr Schröder, but the Chancellor was better prepared than he had been two weeks ago to respond, noting that unemployment was rising in Bavaria, the state where Mr Stoiber is premier and which has the lowest percentage of people out of work.

Mr Stoiber's central campaign pitch is his record of economic management in Bavaria. Unemployment and possible war with Iraq provoked the liveliest exchanges of the 90-minute confrontation, with the candidates ignoring the rule on not addressing each other to interrupt and even ridicule.

The debate was moderated by two of Germany's premier women presenters, Sabine Christiansen and Maybrit Illner. Ms Christiansen has risen from air hostess to political interviewer, while Ms Illner is one of only a few former East German journalists to have succeeded in the mainstream western media.

Mr Schröder's lacklustre performance two weeks ago disappointed many of his supporters, who felt he appeared tired and at times bored, while his Bavarian rival unexpectedly shone. Last night's contest was much more even, with Mr Stoiber failing to exceed the expectations he had raised in the first debate and his rival managing to appear more spontaneous and assertive, without sacrificing the dignity of his office.

Polls taken immediately afterwards showed that almost half of those asked thought Mr Schröder had won, while only one quarter put Mr Stoiber ahead. A majority also found Mr Schröder the more credible of the two. On the single point of ability to create jobs, however, almost twice as many people found Mr Stoiber the more credible.

The rivals will now criss-cross the country, courting the many undecided voters. Mr Schröder needs to win over doubters in the prosperous Rhineland and the poorer eastern states, while Mr Stoiber needs to convince north Germans that being Bavarian does not disqualify him from becoming Chancellor.