(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The Christian-Democratic Union (CSU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) continue to lead all contenders in Germany's federal election, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 43 per cent of respondents would support the coalition in next month's federal election.

The governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) of chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is second with 29 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke)—which merges the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Electoral Alternative for Labour and Social Justice (WASG)—with 10 per cent, the Green Party (Grune) with seven per cent, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) also with seven per cent.

On Jul. 1, Schroeder deliberately lost a no-confidence motion in the Federal Diet after a 151-296 vote, with 148 abstentions. A federal election has been scheduled for Sept. 18. The CDU has named Angela Merkel as its chancellor candidate. Germany has never had a female head of government.

The FDP is considered as the most likely coalition partner for the CDU-CSU alliance. Support for the combined political organizations is at 50 per cent, while the prospective total for the SPD, Grune and Linke is 46 per cent.

On Aug. 10, CSU leader Edmund Stoiber said he does not want East German voters to "swing" the election, declaring, "Unfortunately, we don't have such intelligent citizens everywhere as we do in Bavaria. We need to make up for some deficits in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. And I don't want the election to once again be decided by the East."

On Aug. 12, Merkel chided Stoiber for his comments, saying, "Insulting voters is the wrong way. Everything that adds to a growing rift between Germans rather than unity is totally counterproductive. I want to be chancellor of all Germans."

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