(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Germany think that neither of the two candidates running for the chancellorship would be particularly good at boosting job creation, according to a poll by FG Wahlen released by ZDF. 55 per cent of respondents say it makes no difference which politician is in charge in this case.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Germany think that neither of the two candidates running for the chancellorship would be particularly good at boosting job creation, according to a poll by FG Wahlen released by ZDF. 55 per cent of respondents say it makes no difference which politician is in charge in this case.
Only 19 per cent of respondents say incumbent Angela Merkel would be better at creating jobs, while 10 per cent think rival Frank-Walter Steinmeier would perform better.
Official results from the September 2005 election to the Federal Diet gave Merkel’s Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and its associate Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) 226 seats, with Steinmeier’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) coming 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 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 Aug. 3, Steinmeier said that his party would create four million jobs in the next 10 years, half of which would be in what he called the "green technology" sector. Steinmeier declared: "With the right policy, we can make these new intelligent technologies to a new export hit made in Germany. (…) No other country in the world has better conditions to become the world’s top supplier for machines and products that save energy."
The next legislative ballot is scheduled for Sept. 27.
Polling Data
Which chancellor candidate would be better at creating jobs?
|
Angela Merkel (CDU)
|
19%
|
|
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD)
|
10%
|
|
It makes no difference
|
55%
|
|
Not sure
|
16%
|
Source: FG Wahlen / ZDF
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,194 German adults, conducted from Aug. 4 to Aug. 6, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
