German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s main challenger has stumbled into a fresh scandal days ahead of general elections and just as opinion polls point to a pickup in his Social Democrat Party’s poll fortunes.
A stark black-and-white photograph of Peer Steinbrueck - the man who wants to be chancellor - making a vulgar, middle-finger gesture was splashed across the cover of Munich’s liberal Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper’s weekend magazine, triggering widespread criticism.
Steinbrueck, 66, adopted the pose of extending his middle finger in an apparent gesture of contempt during an interview, where he had to give answers by gestures rather than words.
He was responding to a question about whether he deserved nicknames including “problem Peer,” “gaffe-hit Peer” and “Peerlusconi” - a reference to former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi - after a series of gaffes during the early part of the campaign.
Many political consultants believe this might damage him. His gesture in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung was also in marked contrast to Merkel’s trademark stance of holding her hands in a ring shape that features in Christian Democrats (CDU) campaign posters.
The SPD leader defended his gesture saying he hoped that Germans would have enough humour to see the sense of irony in the pose.
The SPD’s opponents were quick to seize the opportunity, with Health Minister Daniel Bahr posting on Twitter: “This cannot be the style of a chancellor.”
A former finance minister, Steinbrueck, likes to promote himself as a politician who says things as they are.
Earlier this year, Steinbrueck dismissed Italy’s election results as victory for “two clowns” - a reference to Berlusconi and protest party leader and comedian Beppe Grillo. He went on to describe Berlusconi, known for his “bunga bunga” parties, as “a clown with a special dose of testosterone”.
His remarks prompted Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to cancel a planned dinner with Steinbrueck during a visit to Berlin.
Shortly after being nominated as the SPD’s chancellor candidate last year, Steinbrueck complained in an interview that the job of leading Europe’s biggest economy was underpaid. He followed this up by saying that Merkel enjoyed a special political advantage because she was a woman.
He also claimed that Merkel lacked passion for Europe because she grew up in Germany’s former communist east and unlike politicians from the nation’s west was removed from the European project.
The publication of the photo followed the release of a series of opinion polls showing the SPD having made up ground against Merkel’s CDU.
Steinbrueck has managed to chip away at the commanding lead that Merkel previously enjoyed in personal popularity ratings, according to a survey published this week.
Merkel’s lead as Germany’s preferred chancellor narrowed to 17 points this week compared with 33 points four weeks ago, the poll showed.
Just one thoughtless gesture, all those gains seem doubtful now.