(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The coalition of the Christian-Democratic Union (CSU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) continues to lead all political organizations in Germany, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 43 per cent of respondents would vote for the alliance in next month's election to the Federal Diet.

The governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) of chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is second with 32 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 nine per cent, the Green Party (Grune) with seven per cent, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with six 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 49 per cent, while the prospective total for the SPD, Grune and Linke is 48 per cent.

Yesterday, Doris Schroeder-Koepf—the current chancellor's wife—criticized the CDU leader in an interview with Die Zeit, declaring, "(Merkel's life) is not such that she can represent the experiences of the majority of women. They are busy trying to juggle a family and a career, or deciding whether to spend a few years at home after having a baby or wondering how best to bring up their children. This is not Angela Merkel's world."

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