Schroeder wins confidence vote as France deploys troops

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament today, with a narrow majority that both bolsters his coalition government and approves a German deployment of troops in the US–led war against terrorism.

Members of parliament voted 336–326 to back Schroeder's motion, which also pledged 3,900 troops to the campaign.

The governing coalition needed a majority in the 666–seat legislature – 334 votes – to survive. The alliance of Schroeder's Social Democrats and the Greens party has 341 seats. Four MPs did not vote.

With some pacifists in his coalition stubbornly opposing what would be Germany's largest foray outside Europe since World War II, Chancellor Schroeder opted for the confidence vote – only the fourth in postwar Germany – rather than accepting approval of the deployment on the strength of opposition support.

Chancellor Schroeder's victory came as France started deploying the first of an expected 300 troops to Afghanistan as part of the international operation to get aid to millions of people.

An advance party of 58 French marines set out for the city of Mazar–i–Sharif in northeastern Afghanistan,

In his speech to the full parliament, Chancellor Schroeder urged in his coalition to back the military deployment – thereby reinforcing the government – in a signal to the world of Germany's reliability in the international fight against terrorism. The pledge does not involve ground troops or participation in airstrikes.

"Today's decision on the military deployment will certainly be a turning point: for the first time soldiers will be readied for armed deployment outside the NATO region," he said. "For a decision of such consequences, it is absolutely necessary that the chancellor and the government relies on a majority from their own coalition."

With the military deployment tied to a confidence vote, the opposition vowed to vote against rather than support the chancellor. They complained the chancellor's gamble has harmed Germany's image abroad.

"You are playing thoughtlessly with foreign policy because you cannot manage your domestic policies, in a last–ditch effort to save your government," the conservative Christian Democrats' parliamentary leader, Friedrich Merz, said. "Such a chancellor doesn't deserve trust."