Controversy over a German minister's alleged comparison of the U.S. president's methods to those of Adolf Hitler has overshadowed the final day before tomorrow¿s election in Germany.
Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin has denied a newspaper report she likened George W. Bush's stance on Iraq to Hitler's use of foreign policy to hide domestic woes.
Yet she still faces calls to quit and charges from Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that U.S-German relations have been "poisoned".
It was unclear what impact, if any, the last-minute furore sparked by the report would have on Sunday's result.
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's firm stand against any war in Iraq has benefited his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), but his rival Edmund Stoiber and the conservatives accuse the government of isolating Germany and even threatening exports.
The latest polls showed the race between the SPD and the main opposition Christian Democrat/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parties was too close to call and a huge postal vote suggested voter turnout would be a post-unification record.
An Allensbach Institute survey showed a mere 0.5 percentage points between the two parties, the SPD on 37.5 percent, the CDU/CSU on 37. A Forsa poll found Schroeder's SPD would win 38.5 to 39.5 percent. Stoiber's conservatives had 37 to 38 percent.
The future of Europe's largest economy will depend on the smaller parties -- especially the reformed communists, successors to the party that built the Berlin Wall -- that could garner enough votes to stay in parliament.
Whether the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) crosses the five percent threshold could determine whether a combination of the other parties -- SPD and Greens or CDU/CSU and liberal Free Democrats -- can form a functioning majority.
The Allensbach poll put the ex-communist PDS on 4.5 percent. The major parties have spent the final run-up seeking to capitalise on or limit the damage from the justice minister's alleged remarks.
Schroeder wrote to Bush on Friday saying he regretted any offence the reported comments had caused, although the White House fury appeared undimmed.
Rice said the reported words were unacceptable, even if only half of what was reported was said.
"How can you use the name Hitler and the name of the President of the U.S. in the same sentence? Particularly, how can a German, given the devotion of the U.S. in the liberation of Germany from Hitler? An atmosphere has been created that is in that sense poisoned," she told the Financial Times.
"I would say it's not been a happy time with Germany. There have clearly been some things said that are way beyond the pale."
Stoiber, keen to highlight Germany's faltering recovery and unemployment of around four million, said the government's stance would damage Germany's political and economic standing.