Germany's two dominant political parties, uneasy bedfellows in the national government in Berlin, yesterday set their sights on the next general election in 2009 by launching policy reviews intended to highlight the differences in their political programmes.

The moves by the centre-left Social Democrats and centre-right Christian Democrats to redefine their goals come barely five months after the two parties, Germany's traditional political enemies, formed a grand coalition under the leadership of the CDU chancellor Angela Merkel.