1.   Awkwardly for Stoiber, who is known for his economic competence and friendly relations with big business, German industry groups strongly support the bill.

2.   It is a union of democratic states, whose members must meet agreed-upon standards of political decency as well as economic competence.

3.   Surveys during the campaign showed voters saw the CDU as way ahead in terms of economic competence.

4.   Reversing the party image of nearly two decades, big majorities also agreed that the Conservatives have lost their reputation for economic competence.