(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remain popular in Germany, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for either party in the next federal election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remain popular in Germany, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for either party in the next federal election.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 24 per cent, followed by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 12 per cent, the Left Party (Linke) with 11 per cent, and the Green Party (Grune) also with 11 per cent.
Official results from the September 2005 election to the Federal Diet gave the CDU and the 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 2008, SPD leader Kurt Beck tendered his resignation. The party chose transport, building and urban affairs minister Franz Muentefering to replace Beck, and picked Frank-Walter 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. 31, Merkel called for new regulations to oversee financial markets, declaring, "The state is the guardian of economic and social order. (…) Those are our rules. I won’t let go until we’ve succeeded in gaining their adoption [internationally]."
Germany’s next federal ballot is tentatively scheduled for September 2009
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the next federal election?
|
Dec. 16 |
Nov. 20 |
Oct. 9 |
|
|
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / |
37% |
39% |
38% |
|
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
24% |
25% |
25% |
|
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
12% |
11% |
11% |
|
Left Party (Linke) |
11% |
10% |
12% |
|
Green Party (Grune) |
11% |
10% |
8% |
Source: Infratest-Dimap
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,001 German adults, conducted on Dec. 15 and Dec. 16, 2008. Margin of error is 2.7 per cent.
