(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A potential coalition featuring the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU), its associate Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) and the conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) would be backed by roughly half of the voters in Germany, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 35 per cent of respondents would vote for the governing CDU-CSU in this year’s election to the Federal Diet, while 13 per cent would support the FDP.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A potential coalition featuring the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU), its associate Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) and the conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) would be backed by roughly half of the voters in Germany, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 35 per cent of respondents would vote for the governing CDU-CSU in this year’s election to the Federal Diet, while 13 per cent would support the FDP.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 28 per cent, with the Green Party (Grune) at 12 per cent and the Left Party (Linke) with nine per cent.
The next legislative ballot is scheduled for Sept. 27. The CDU-CSU alliance has said it would likely invite the pro-business FDP to form a new federal government.
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.
In Germany, the federal president is elected to a five-year term by the Federal Convention, a body that encompasses the Federal Diet as well as delegates from the country’s 16 states. German voters do not choose the federal president through a direct election.
On May 23, the CDU’s Horst Koehler was re-elected as Germany’s president in a 613-503 vote, defeating SPD candidate Gesine Schwan. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle—whose party backed Koehler’s candidacy—hailed the result, saying, "It sends a signal. (…) It’s a rejection of the Social Democratic agenda".
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the next federal election?
|
|
May 14 |
Apr. 7 |
Mar. 19 |
|
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / |
35% |
34% |
33% |
|
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
28% |
27% |
27% |
|
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
13% |
14% |
16% |
|
Green Party (Grune) |
12% |
11% |
10% |
|
Left Party (Linke) |
9% |
10% |
10% |
Source: Infratest-Dimap
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,500 German adults, conducted from May 12 to May 14, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
