(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in Germany are confident that a three-party governing coalition will remain in place until the end of its term in office, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 65 per cent of respondents think the "Grand Coalition" will serve the whole term, while 29 per cent think it will collapse prematurely.

In November 2005, Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) leader Angela Merkel was sworn in as Germany’s first female head of government. The current administration includes members of the CDU, the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Last month, Kurt Beck was re-elected as SPD leader with the support of more than 95 per cent of his caucus.

On Nov. 13, German vice-chancellor and labour minister Franz Muentefering announced his resignation, causing widespread speculation in German media that the "Grand Coalition" might face serious internal challenges. Muentefering was seen, along with Merkel, as a key promoter of unity within the alliance. He claimed "family reasons" forced him to quit his job.

Opposition Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Guido Westerwelle reacted to the news, saying, "The coalition is formally still in office, but it has long stopped governing. It is bad for Germany, because we will now have a months-long, and if we are unlucky, two-year-long general election campaign ahead of us."

The next legislative election in Germany is scheduled for 2009.

Polling Data

Do you think the current "grand coalition" government will serve the whole term, or collapse prematurely?

Source: Infratest-Dimap
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 German voters, conducted on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, 2007. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.