(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Germany’s governing conservative parties keep the upper hand in the country’s political scene, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) or the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) in the next election to the Federal Diet, unchanged since mid-June.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is behind with 22 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 13 per cent each, 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.

Earlier this month, CDU deputy-leader Wolfgang Bosbach acknowledged that his party is having internal problems, saying, "The party is not in good shape. (…) You can’t underestimate the tensions, especially among traditional party members who long for the old days."

Germany’s next federal ballot is tentatively scheduled for September 2009.

Polling Data

What party would you support in Germany’s next federal election?

Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 2,500 German adults, conducted from Jun. 23 to Jun. 27, 2008. Margin of error is four per cent.

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