The German press sees the sacking of Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping, following allegations of financial wrongdoing, as the death throes of Gerhard Schroeder's centre-left government.

An apocalyptic mood is spreading around Schroeder

Berliner Zeitung

Die Welt describes it as the "oppressive climax of a political twilight of the gods", while the Sueddeutsche Zeitung sees the government suffering "the agony of its last days".

"For the increasingly likely removal of the 'Red-Green' government, 18 July might have been a decisive date," writes the Suddeutsche, usually sympathetic to Schroeder's Social Democratic Party (SPD).

"In the last few weeks the SPD had gained just a bit but enough to prompt new hopes... [But] this process has been abruptly stopped."

No choice

The Berliner Zeitung says Mr Schroeder appears to be doomed, and that the political atmosphere is as unfavourable to him now as it was to Chancellor Helmut Kohl in the run-up to the 1998 election.

He is more like someone who has to repeat a year at school and bullies his younger classmates

Die Welt on Schroeder

"Schroeder's re-election has not become more likely with Scharping's departure," the paper writes in an editorial.

"After four years, an apocalyptic mood is spreading around Schroeder as it did after 16 years of Kohl."

The paper argues that Mr Schroeder had no choice but to sack Mr Scharping, after the story broke about his financial dealings with a public relations company.

"If he had left Scharping in office, the next few weeks, perhaps even the whole election campaign would have been dominated by such questions as when which amount was paid into what account of Scharping, by whom and for what," it says.

Die Welt also believes that after a string of political problems, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was compelled to demonstrate his ability to act decisively. But it says the move may have backfired.

"He has chosen the weakest member of his weak cabinet to show leadership, and yet he is more like someone who has to repeat a year at school and bullies his younger classmates," the paper says.

'Godsend' for opposition

The disintegration of the government has become shockingly visible

Bild

The mass-circulation daily Bild also suggests that losing an another minister so close to the election looks bad.

"The 'Scharping must go' campaign is no show of strength," Bild says.

"The disintegration of the government has become shockingly visible with the departure of an eighth minister."

The Frankfurter Rundschau says Mr Scharping's dismissal two months before parliamentary elections was long overdue.

The paper argues that far from demonstrating decisive action, the chancellor has shown a lack of management qualities since he should have sacked the minister a year ago during the Macedonia crisis.

It adds: "It comes as a godsend to the opposition, which in the election campaign hasn't scored with its own initiatives and proposals but mainly through the mistakes of the government."