The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, rallied his troops in Berlin yesterday in a rousing speech designed to kick off his re-election campaign.
But Mr Schröder knows he has a fight on his hands with opinion polls giving his Social Democrats their lowest level of support since taking office.
He has just over 100 days to polling day to reverse his fortunes. Mr Schröder (58) began the fight yesterday, dubbing the SPD the "guarantor of social justice" and saying the conservatives would "chip away at the social welfare system".
"People know we won't leave anyone behind and that we take protection of the social welfare system seriously," the Chancellor said in a relaxed but determined speech.
"Some people have already written us off and the others . . . are already dividing up the spoils amongst themselves.
"But it doesn't depend on who starts first but who reaches the target first," Mr Schröder said.
The biggest surprise in Mr Schröder's speech was the force of his attack on the liberal Free Democratic Union (FDP), until now likely coalition king-makers with 9 per cent opinion poll support.
However, leaders of Germany's Jewish community have accused an FDP party leader of making anti-Semitic remarks.
"The FDP may want to take office in their current form, but at the moment they are not capable of governing," said Mr Schröder.
He called for the re-election of the current Red-Green government, which has 41 per cent support.
Aware that the economy is his Achilles heel in this election campaign, Mr Schröder steered clear yesterday of any detailed discussion of the current recession, which has left four million out of work.
The Chancellor also glossed over a warning from his Finance Minister, Mr Hans Eichel, that Germany's economic recovery was endangered because consumers, angered at euro-related price rises, were buying less.
Instead, Mr Schröder insisted that "the worst is behind us".
He asserted that his government's tax and social welfare reforms had made Germany a "stable and attractive business location like never before".
The Chancellor said he needed a second term to continue his government's reform programme, tackling child care, health care and pension reform.
He attacked the conservatives, currently leading the polls with 40 per cent, as "yesterday's personalities", with an election manifesto of "yesterday's recipes".
"Would you please stop this talking badly about our Germany just because you're cooking your own party political brew," the Chancellor said, attracting a 10-minute standing ovation from party supporters.
