Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- New Zealand Election 2008
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Stem Cell Research
- Stephen Harper
- Terrorism
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Democrats
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Republicans
- U.S. Election 2008: The Primaries
- Vladimir Putin
- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Conservatives Maintain Lead in Germany
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Chancellor Angela Merkel’s alliance of conservative parties remains popular in Germany, according to a poll by FG Wahlen released by ZDF. 41 per cent of respondents would back the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) or the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) in the next election to the Federal Diet, down one point since January.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 30 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke) with 10 per cent, the Green Party (Grune) with seven per cent, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) also with seven 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 Merkel was sworn in as Germany’s first female head of government. The current administration includes members of the CDU, CSU and SPD.
On Feb. 14, during a meeting with Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, Merkel said Germany will continue to push for specific action to stop Iran’s nuclear aspirations, saying, "I certainly understand the need to step up sanctions on Iran. (...) I will support additional sanctions."
After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by United States president George W. Bush in January 2002, Iran has contended that its nuclear program aims to produce energy, not weapons.
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the next federal election?
|
Feb. 2008 |
Jan. 2008 |
Dec. 2007 |
|
|
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / |
41% |
42% |
41% |
|
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
30% |
30% |
31% |
|
Left Party (Linke) |
10% |
9% |
9% |
|
Green Party (Grune) |
7% |
7% |
8% |
|
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
7% |
7% |
7% |
Source: FG Wahlen / ZDF
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,275 German adults, conducted from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7, 2008. Margin of error is 2.7 per cent.