Although the Social Democrats never really liked Schröder (they certainly do not love him in the way they did the unforgettable Willy Brandt), they willy-nilly followed him so long as they saw him as the only guarantor of electoral success after 16 frustrating years (1982-1998) in opposition to Helmut Kohl.
Bien que les DÃ©mocrates sociaux n'aient jamais rÃ©ellement apprÃ©ciÃ© SchrÃ¶der (ils ne l'apprÃ©cient certainement pas autant que l'inoubliable Willy Brandt), ils l'ont suivi bon grÃ© mal grÃ© tant qu'ils l'ont considÃ©rÃ© comme le seul garant de la rÃ©ussite Ã©lectorale aprÃ¨s 16 annÃ©es frustrantes (1982-1998) dans l'opposition face Ã Helmut Kohl.