Speaking on Saturday, Schulz said he hoped to win a vote of confidence with the backing of "a large majority" of party faithful. "It's been encouraging to see in the last few weeks that people are hopeful again that the Social Democrats have a shot," Schulz told Berlin public radio RBB this week. Fired-up fansAhead of the congress, Schulz won a nod of support from EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker who, despite his centre-right stance, has had a somewhat tense relationship with Merkel. "Both Martin Schulz and Angela Merkel have the qualities to be chancellor," he told Bild newspaper on Sunday. The Social Democrats, junior partners in Merkel governments for nearly eight of the last 12 years, long withered in Merkel's shadow.

Source: The Local March 19, 2017 11:37 UTC