(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Germany are satisfied with having Angela Merkel as their head of government, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 47 per cent of respondents would prefer to have the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) leader as chancellor.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Germany are satisfied with having Angela Merkel as their head of government, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 47 per cent of respondents would prefer to have the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) leader as chancellor.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is a distant second with 25 per cent. More than a quarter of respondents cannot pick either of the politicians for the country’s top job.
Official results from the September 2005 election to the Federal Diet gave the CDU and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) 226 seats, with the SPD a close second with 222 legislators. Neither of the two main parties was able to assemble a coalition government with their preferred partners. In November 2005, CDU leader Angela Merkel was sworn in as Germany’s first female head of government. The current administration includes members of the CDU, CSU and SPD.
In September, SPD leader Kurt Beck tendered his resignation. The party chose transport, building and urban affairs minister Franz Muentefering to replace Beck, and picked Steinmeier to run against Merkel in the next federal election. Steinmeier has been Germany’s foreign minister since November 2005, and also serves as Germany’s vice-chancellor.
On Dec. 21, Steinmeier questioned Merkel’s fiscal policies, saying, "We don’t want the [stimulus] money to end up in savings accounts but instead we want the money to be used to jump start consumption. (…) The priority should be creating jobs. There is plenty to do, especially at the local level with investment in schools, pre-schools, youth centres, and cycle paths."
Germany’s next federal ballot is tentatively scheduled for September 2009.
Polling Data
Who would you prefer as chancellor?
|
Angela Merkel (CDU) |
47% |
|
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SDP) |
25% |
|
Not sure / Other |
28% |
Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 2,502 German adults, conducted from Dec. 8 to Dec. 12, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.
