Germany: Angela Merkel's election rival Martin Schulz vows to remove all US nuclear weapons

Leader of the left-wing SDP takes radically different stance to the Chancellor on defence

Leader of the main opposition party, the left-wing SPD, Martin Schulz said he did not want to increase military spending (REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello)

Germany's main opposition candidate has vowed to remove all US nuclear weapons from bases in Germany if, against the odds, he is elected in next month's vote.

Martin Schulz, the former President of the European Parliament and now leader of Germany's left-wing Social Democrats (SPD), is the lead challenger to Angela Merkel's bid for a fourth term in office as Chancellor.

Speaking at a campaign rally in the western city of Trier, Mr Schulz said he would resist President Donald Trump's demands to Nato members to increase their defence spending.

"Trump wants nuclear armament. We are against this," he told his supporters. "As Chancellor, I will commit Germany to having the nuclear weapons stationed here withdrawn from our country," he added.

According to unofficial estimates, about 20 American nuclear warheads are stationed at a military base in Buechel, in western Germany. Tthe US embassy in Berlin said it did not comment on nuclear weapons in the country.

Mr Schulz also said he would use the €30bn (£27.6bn) Ms Merkel has earmarked to increase military spending for other purposes in a bid to distance himself from his rival.

The US had been pressing Germany to increase its military spending long before Mr Trump's election last November but the new President repeated the demands, adding Germany owes Nato "vast sums of money" and should pay the US more for defending it.

President Trump also suggested he might abandon Nato allies if they do not increase their spending to the two per cent of GDP minimum target specified by the alliance.

Germany was placed under Nato and the US' military protection following the Second World War and has since been wary about using military force.

Ms Merkel pledged to reach Nato's military spending target by 2024, a commitment she said the government endorsed three years ago when Mr Schulz was a junior coalition partner.

But Mr Schulz told his audience at the Trier rally: "What to do with our money is the central question of this election. Trump demands that two per cent of GDP, €30bn, should got to military spending and Merkel agrees to that without asking German citizens."

Mr Schulz has ruled in a grand coalition with Ms Merkel's conservatives over the last four years making it difficult for his party to criticise the Chancellor's recent record and to differentiate his party from her conservative alliance.

But defence has appeared to be one of the issues which created the biggest divide between the two candidates, although it may not resonate as a priority with many voters.

After 12 years in office, Ms Merkel has become increasingly confident on the global stage and she has pushed for Germany to become more militarily self-reliant.

Earlier this year, she said times when Germany could rely on others to defend it were "to some extent in the past".

Recent polls show Mr Schulz lagging about 15 points behind Ms Merkel in opinion polls with around 23 per cent of voting intentions, against up to 39 per cent for the Chancellor.

A booming economy and low unemployment are predicted to lead Ms Merkel to a fourth election victory but she would have to form another coalition to rule.

While a repeat of the grand coalition of the last four years is unlikely, the race for the third place could determine whether the next government will lean to the right or to the left.

The election will take place on 24 September.

Additional reporting by agencies