Campaigning is underway for state elections in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Hessen later this month - Je 08.01.2008 8 UTC

Here in Germany - campaigning is underway for state elections in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Hessen later this month. The conservative Christian Democrats currently lead the governments in those states. Their challengers, the Social Democrats have made a national minimum wage their central campaign issue. But the conservatives have the initiative at the moment - calling for tougher laws to clamp down on juvenile crime.