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No Movement for Merkel Parties in Germany
- Public support for the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remains stagnant in Germany, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 30 per cent of respondents would vote for either party in the next election to the Federal Diet.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 29 per cent, followed by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 14 per cent, the Left Party (Linke) with 11 per cent, and the Green Party (Grune) with 10 per cent.
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.
The poll gives the CDU and CSU its lowest level of support since Merkel became leader in April 2000. On Sept. 6, the government announced that a draft law on a series of reforms to the health care system would be delayed until April 2007—three months later than expected. SPD leader Kurt Beck explained the situation, saying, "This is completely unspectacular. It is a sensible move as we don't want to make any mistakes."
Polling Data
What party would you support in Germany's next federal election?
Sept. 1 | Aug. 25 | Aug. 18 | |
Christian-Democratic Union | 30% | 30% | 31% |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 29% | 29% | 29% |
Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 14% | 14% | 15% |
Left Party (Linke) | 11% | 12% | 9% |
Green Party (Grune) | 10% | 10% | 10% |
Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Interviews with 2,499 German adults, conducted from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2006. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.