Stoiber: The conservative hope

Stoiber beat Merkel from the bigger party, the CDU, to represent the conservatives

KREUTH, Germany -- The Bavarian leader Edmund Stoiber will carry conservative hopes into the national elections in September.

His allies on the centre-right say Stoiber's experience and success in running the rich state of Bavaria might just be enough to unseat President Gerhard Schroeder.

Described variously as "the blond hatchet" or "Bavarian pit-bull terrier," questions remain whether Stoiber's popularity in his Alpine homeland can spread to the north.

His success in attracting modern business has done much to broaden Bavaria's traditional image as a separate nation.

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He favours tax cuts for small businesses and labour market deregulation -- a crunch issue as unemployment in Europe's biggest economy inches towards four million.

His firm line on controlling immigration is also likely to attract voters across Germany.

Born in 1941 in Oberaudorf, near the Bavarian city of Rosenheim, Stoiber studied law before joining the Bavarian Ministry for Development and Environment in 1971, working in government ever since.

With a reputation as a dour workaholic his stock has risen strongly since he won a convincing 52.9 percent of the vote in Bavaria in elections in 1998.

He has been Bavarian premier since May 1993 and he was elected leader of the Christian Social Union in January 1999.