Top conservative criticizes Merkel

BERLIN, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Top conservative Friedrich Merz has indirectly criticized his leader Angela Merkel ahead of Wednesday's coalition talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats.

In an editorial in the business magazine Wirtschaftswoche, Merz Wednesday said the election result of the Christian Democrats/Christian Socialists was less than expected because of personnel reasons.

"Two point six million CDU supporters, who gave their vote for one of the local conservative candidates, did not vote the CDU/CSU with their second ballot," the lawmaker said. "That's a very clear answer to election program and personnel."

He said the conservatives "still have a mandate to form the government," but Merkel's name wasn't mentioned a single time in his 700-word editorial. Rather, Merz painted a bleak picture when it comes to reducing Germany's federal deficit, which he said wasn't able solely by raising taxes and cutting expenditures. The key to a successful government will be its ability to reduce unemployment, he said.

Merz, a highly respected financial expert, fell out with Merkel after an internal power struggle with the ended his claim for the party's leadership. After Merkel's fiscal expert, Paul Kirchhof, looked to crumble under increasing pressure from Schroeder's party, many conservatives urged Merkel to include Merz in her future government plans.

Merz's comments are seen by the German press as the first overt criticism of a prominent conservative of Merkel's leadership claim.