AlQa'dah 12, 1433, Sep 28, 2012, SPA -- Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Friday picked Peer Steinbrueck, a former finance minister, to stand against Chancellor Angela Merkel in next year's general election. The main opposition party lags well behind Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in the polls, but hopes to gather enough votes to rule in coalition with the smaller Green Party. Party leader Sigmar Gabriel said he would not seek the chancellorship himself. The formal nomination, agreed in secret two weeks ago between him and Steinbrueck, would take place Monday in the centre-left party's national executive. "I want to separate the office of SPD party chairman from the office of chancellor candidate," Gabriel said. "I am accepting this challenge," Steinbrueck, 65, told reporters. "We want to replace the current government."