World News | Merkel Party Candidate Apologises for Book Plagiarism
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The center-right candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in Germany's upcoming election apologised Friday for failing to credit a source in a 2009 book he wrote about immigration.
Berlin, Jul 30 (AP) The center-right candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in Germany's upcoming election apologised Friday for failing to credit a source in a 2009 book he wrote about immigration.
German news agency dpa quoted Armin Laschet as saying the book will be reviewed to determine whether further mistakes were made.
Allegations of plagiarism and academic misconduct are taken very seriously in Germany and have led several senior politicians to resign in recent years.
Laschet's rival, Annalena Baerbock of the Green party, earlier this month acknowledged making a mistake when she used material in a new book without listing sources.
Recent polls give Laschet's Union bloc a clear lead over the Greens and the center-left Social Democrats. But the 60-year-old's personal approval ratings have fallen in part due to perceived missteps during this month's deadly floods in western Germany, where Laschet is a state governor.
Germans go to the polls on Sept. 26 to elect a new parliament, with the strongest party likely to lead the formation of a new government and provide the next chancellor. Merkel, whose party Laschet now leads, isn't running for a fifth term. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)