Schroeder, Gerhard (1944– )

German politician, Social Democratic Party (SPD) chancellor 1998–2005. A moderate, media-skilled, populist politician, Schroeder was dubbed ‘Germany's Tony Blair’. On his election he was regarded as more Euro-sceptic than either his predecessor Helmut Kohl or the SPD chair Oskar Lafontaine, and was supported by 86% of delegates. In December 1999 he united his fractious party behind a deliberately vague programme which steered its policies cautiously between left and right.

Despite a sluggish economy, Schroeder's personal popularity and charisma enabled him to stay in office in 2002 despite starting the general election campaign well behind his conservative rival, Edmund Stoiber. In 2003, he opposed the US invasion of Iraq and in the September 2005 general election almost survived in power despite the SPD trailing 20 points behind the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the opinion polls in spring 2005. However, the general election produced a stalemate result with the only solution being the formation, in November 2005, of a ‘grand coalition’ of the CDU and SPD, led by the CDU's Angela Merkel.

Elected premier of Lower Saxony in 1990, his re-election in March 1998, with an increased share of the vote, persuaded the SPD to select him to challenge Helmut Kohl in the September 1998 general election.