(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A potential coalition between Germany’s Christian-Democratic Union (CDU), the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU), and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) could garner half of the popular vote in the upcoming election, according to a poll by FG Wahlen released by ZDF. 36 per cent of respondents would support the CDU-CSU duo, and 13 per cent would back the pro-business FDP in this year’s election to the Federal Diet.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A potential coalition between Germany’s Christian-Democratic Union (CDU), the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU), and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) could garner half of the popular vote in the upcoming election, according to a poll by FG Wahlen released by ZDF. 36 per cent of respondents would support the CDU-CSU duo, and 13 per cent would back the pro-business FDP in this year’s election to the Federal Diet.
Results are practically unchanged since early June. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is in second place with 25 per cent. The Green Party (Grune) is fourth with 11 per cent, followed by 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.
Earlier this month, a nuclear reactor in Hamburg, Germany, had to be urgently shut down due to a short circuit in one of its transformers. The incident quickly became a talking point on the campaign trail.
For a long time, the CDU-CSU has vowed to revive Germany’s nuclear industry, while the SPD is against all use of nuclear capabilities. In 2000, SPD chancellor Gerhard Schroeder—who governed with the support of the Greens—vowed to make the country nuclear-free by about 2020.
On Jul. 10, commenting on the Hamburg reactor situation, Steinmeier declared: "The incidents at [Hamburg] have shaken trust in nuclear energy in my view."
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the next federal election?
|
|
Jul. 2 |
Jun. 10 |
May 7 |
|
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / |
36% |
37% |
37% |
|
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
25% |
25% |
27% |
|
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
13% |
13% |
13% |
|
Green Party (Grune) |
11% |
11% |
9% |
|
Left Party (Linke) |
9% |
8% |
10% |
Source: FG Wahlen / ZDF
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,206 German adults, conducted from Jun. 30 to Jul. 2, 2009. Margin of error is 2.7 per cent.
