(12/30/09) -

CDU-CSU Keeps 11-Point Advantage in Germany

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remain at the top of Germany’s political scene, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 35 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 at the top of Germany’s political scene, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 35 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 Green Party (Grune) with 14 per cent, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 12 per cent, and the Left Party (Linke) with 11 per cent.

In November 2005, CDU leader Angela Merkel was sworn in as Germany’s first female head of government following a federal election. Her "Grand Coalition" administration featured members of the CDU, CSU and SPD.

In September, German voters participated in a new federal election. Final results gave the CDU-CSU 33.8 per cent of the vote and 239 seats, followed by the SPD with 23 per cent and 146 mandates. This time, Merkel invited the FDP to form a government. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle serves as foreign minister.

On Dec. 25, Merkel expressed dismay at the 11-year prison sentence handed by Chinese authorities to dissident Liu Xiaobo, declaring, "Despite the great progress in other areas in the expression of views, I regret that the Chinese government still massively restricts press freedom."

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in the next federal election?

Source: Infratest-Dimap
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,500 German adults, conducted from Dec. 9 to Dec. 11, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.