(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Germany’s political scene has varied greatly over the last few weeks, with the governing parties losing support and the out-of-government Green Party (DG) solidifying its position in third place.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Germany’s political scene has varied greatly over the last few weeks, with the governing parties losing support and the out-of-government Green Party (DG) solidifying its position in third place.
In late May 2010, only 30 per cent of respondents said they would vote for the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) or the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) in the next election to the Federal Diet. The main player in the coalition government is four points below its election total in the September 2009 election.
The CDU-CSU partner—the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP)—is also facing difficult times. From its third place finish in last year’s election (14.6%, 93 seats), the FDP has lost more than half of its voters (7%).
As expected, the three opposition parties have grown. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is three points ahead of its election total (at 26%) and the Left Party (Linke) has gained two points in six months (13%). Still, the most dramatic turnaround is for the Greens, who finished fifth in 2009 with 10.7 per cent of the vote and 68 seats. Now, the environmentalist party stands at 16 per cent—clearly ahead of the other two "minor" German parties.
Although no federal ballot is expected until late 2013, the re-building period for the centre-left parties in Germany is off to a good start. Current chancellor and CDU leader Angela Merkel has faced criticism over her handling of the economic crisis, with half of Germans saying that the federal government has not properly responded to it.
This month, the Federal Convention, a body that encompasses the Federal Diet as well as delegates from the country’s 16 states, will elect a new president. CDU deputy leader Christian Wulff has been nominated by Merkel to replace Horst Koehler, who tendered his resignation following some ill-timed remarks about Afghanistan, where more than 4,600 German soldiers are currently deployed.
The SPD and the Greens have thrown their support behind Joachim Gauck, a revered figure on the left for his role in investigating the activities of the Stasi secret police in East Germany. Gauck is not expected to provide a challenge to Wulff on Jun. 30—since the coalition partners will have a larger number of votes in the Federal Convention—but the victory will not provide a lot of comfort for Merkel and FDP leader Guido Westerwelle.
