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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Conservatives Have 12-Point Lead in Germany
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) remain the most popular political organizations for German voters, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 39 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 27 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke) with 12 per cent, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with nine per cent, and the Green Party (Grune) with eight 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 Left Party—assembled in 2005—made significant gains in last month’s local elections in Hesse and Lower Saxony. Merkel blamed SPD leader Kurt Beck for allowing the smaller party’s rise, saying, "I view it with concern that the entry of the Left Party into two important regional parliaments in western states couldn’t be averted. (...) It’s the duty of the SPD under Kurt Beck to halt such developments." The chancellor added that stopping the Left Party’s increasing popularity is "quite decisively down to the SPD," since the party’s policies are left-leaning.
The next election in Germany is due in September 2009.
Polling Data
What party would you support in Germany’s next federal election?
|
Jan. 25 |
Jan. 18 |
Dec. 21 |
|
|
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / |
39% |
38% |
38% |
|
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
27% |
28% |
26% |
|
Left Party (Linke) |
12% |
11% |
11% |
|
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
9% |
10% |
10% |
|
Green Party (Grune) |
8% |
8% |
10% |
Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Interviews with 2,502 German adults, conducted from Jan. 21 to Jan. 25, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.