(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The popularity of two centre-right parties in Germany’s governing coalition remains high, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 38 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.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 28 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke) with 11 per cent, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 10 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.

Earlier this month, the SPD gained ground over the CDU in two local elections. The Social Democrats won the ballot in Hesse, while voters in Lower Saxony returned the Christian Democrats to government, but with fewer seats. Merkel said the results will not weaken the governing coalition, adding, "We suffered losses in Hesse; that hurts, there’s no denying it."

Polling Data

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

Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Interviews with 2,501 German adults, conducted from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

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