(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remain on top in Germany, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 35 per cent of respondents would support either party in this year’s election to the Federal Diet.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remain on top in Germany, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 35 per cent of respondents would support either party in this year’s election to the Federal Diet.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 24 per cent, followed by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 15 per cent, the Green Party (Grune) with 11 per cent, and the Left Party (Linke) with 10 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. Together, the CDU, CSU and FDP garner the support of 50 per cent of respondents.
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 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 May 17, FDP leader Guido Westerwelle criticized the current government’s economic policies, saying, "If a big company goes bust, the German eagle flies in. If a small company goes bust, the bankruptcy vultures arrive. (…) Tax cuts will help the economy more than subsidizing one branch after the other. We should relieve the burden on the middle classes. That is the best answer to the downturn."
Polling Data
What party would you support in Germany’s next federal election?
|
May 31 |
May 15 |
May 8 |
|
|
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / |
35% |
36% |
35% |
|
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
24% |
24% |
25% |
|
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
15% |
14% |
16% |
|
Green Party (Grune) |
11% |
11% |
9% |
|
Left Party (Linke) |
10% |
10% |
10% |
Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 2,501 German adults, conducted from May 29 to May 31, 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.
