GERMANY:AFTER TWO years of leftward drift and political crisis, reformist allies of former chancellor Gerhard Schröder have taken back control of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), writes Derek Scally
The coup followed in two stages yesterday afternoon: first, foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was nominated to challenge Angela Merkel in next year's general election. Then luckless party leader Kurt Beck threw in the towel after just two years to be replaced by his own predecessor and party rival, Franz Müntefering.
"This party needs strong leadership and today's decision prepares the way for that," said Mr Steinmeier yesterday. "There are 365 days to the general election and 365 days to strengthen social democracy in Germany. Today is not the start of the election campaign, it is the start of the race to catch up."
The SPD central committee will meet in Berlin this morning to agree the final details of the handover. Mr Steinmeier, one of four deputy leaders, will work as acting leader until an extraordinary party conference is called.
Yesterday, the party's executive unanimously supported his choice as future leader: 68-year-old Mr Müntefering, who has already indicated his willingness to take up his old job.
The news shook awake Berlin's political class after three insipid years of CDU-SPD grand coalition.
Until now, growing chaos in the SPD had made it likely that Dr Merkel would easily win a second term. But a Steinmeier-Müntefering double header will make it a much more interesting and much closer race.
Their takeover marks the victory of the party's pro-reform centrists in the SPD and will bring about a drastic correction of the divided party's political course.
Both Mr Müntefering and Mr Steinmeier were key allies of Gerhard Schröder.
Mr Steinmeier helped draft the Agenda 2010 reform package, introduced as the economy ground to a halt and unemployment topped 12 per cent.
It was Mr Müntefering who won party support for the programme that broke long-held SPD taboos, in the face of huge opposition from the party's left wing.
Huge numbers of SPD left wingers departed in protest to join forces with the reformed communists in the newly-formed Left Party. The remaining SPD left wing had their revenge last year when Mr Beck proposed watering down the Agenda 2010 reforms to boost the party's left credentials and to see off the Left Party threat.
Mr Müntefering bitterly opposed the plan, but he was forced into a humiliating climbdown when Mr Beck's suggestion attracted huge grassroots support.
An embittered Mr Müntefering stood down from all political functions last year when his wife became seriously ill.
But following her death during the summer, he let it be known that he was ready to return to the frontline.
Mr Steinmeier indicated yesterday that the left wing's dominance of the party under Mr Beck was at an end. But, in a conciliatory gesture, he added that changes agreed under Mr Beck "would form the basis of our party programme in the future".
The second, even greater challenge facing Mr Steinmeier and Mr Müntefering is to convince voters that their arrival marks a return to normality and stability, rather than a hasty rearrangement of deckchairs on the rudderless SPD.
After finishing neck-and-neck with Dr Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) in 2005, the chancellor has seized the political middle ground once occupied by the SPD, while the Left Party has stolen its left-wing mantle.
Mr Beck's efforts to move to the left failed to halt the party's slide to record poll lows. In at least one federal state, the SPD has even dropped behind the Left Party.
But he was finally brought down by lack of leadership on a taboo- breaking powersharing pact between the SPD-Left Party in the western state of Hesse.
"The SPD is experiencing the largest crisis in its history," said political scientist Gerd Langguth.
"This is the 12th party leader change since the second World War. If there's anyone in the party that can stabilise the ship and take on the Left Party, then it's Müntefering. I'm not so sure about Steinmeier."
Married with one daughter,Mr Steinmeier (52) enjoyed a rapid rise to power as the discreet and dependable adviser to Gerhard Schröder, who dubbed him "my power man".
Mr Schröder's departure from power in 2005 marked Mr Steinmeier's arrival in the political spotlight as foreign minister.
In office, he worked to repair transatlantic relations strained by the Iraq war and has distanced himself from the Russia-friendly line of Mr Schröder without fully supporting Dr Merkel's cool approach to Moscow.
Running for chancellor will be a baptism of fire for the carpenter's son from the western city of Detmold.
Until now, Mr Steinmeier had never even run for a Bundestag seat.