Kohl Opposition Makes More Inroads

The opposition Social Democrats scored impressive gains in local elections in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, bolstering their hopes of ousting Chancellor Helmut Kohl in a September national vote. The Social Democratic Party victory reaffirmed the popularity of Gerhard Schroeder, who was chosen as Kohl’s challenger after leading his party to a resounding victory three weeks ago in his home state of Lower Saxony. After four successive defeats at the national level, Social Democrats believe Schroeder’s pragmatic image and telegenic appearance can carry them back to power.