(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is closing in on the country’s main conservative parties, according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 35 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, while 29 per cent would back the SPD.

The Left Party (Linke) is third with 13 per cent, followed by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with nine per cent, and the Green Party (Grune) also with nine 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, a major scandal unfolded in Germany when it was revealed that more than 1,000 people who hold bank accounts in Liechtenstein evaded taxes worth well over $1 billion U.S. The news was followed by the controversial revelation that Germany’s national intelligence agency paid an informant over $5.9 million U.S. for a disk containing the data.

On Feb. 21, SDP leader Kurt Beck accused Liechtenstein of "robber-baron" policies and called for sanctions to force it to crack down on tax-evaders. Lichtenstein’s government has condemned Germany’s means to acquire the data, stating that the privacy of bank customers remains a priority.

For decades, Liechtenstein—a landlocked principality located in Europe—based its wealth on favourable business tax regulations. These laws were reformed in 2000, after a series of reports by the G-7 and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggested criminal organizations were abusing the system to launder money.

Polling Data

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

Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Interviews with 2,500 German adults, conducted from Feb. 11 to Feb. 15, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

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