December 16, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - If the head of government could be directly elected by the people in Germany, most voters would back Angela Merkel, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 58 per cent of respondents would support the current chancellor and leader of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU), while 22 per cent would vote for Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Kurt Beck.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - If the head of government could be directly elected by the people in Germany, most voters would back Angela Merkel, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap. 58 per cent of respondents would support the current chancellor and leader of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU), while 22 per cent would vote for Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Kurt Beck.

In November 2005, 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 left-leaning SPD. In October, Beck was re-elected as SPD leader with the support of more than 95 per cent of his caucus.

Earlier this month, during the Europe-Africa summit in Lisbon, Merkel criticized the government of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, stating that the country "damages the image of the new Africa." Zimbabwean information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu chided the German chancellor, claiming her remarks embody "racism of the first order" and illustrate her "Nazi inclinations."

German government spokesman Martin Jaeger expressed dismay at Ndlovu’s statements, saying, "The remarks from Zimbabwe made about the Chancellor were in no way acceptable."

Polling Data

If you could directly elect the federal chancellor, who would you vote for?

	Dec. 5	Oct. 31	Oct. 3
Angela Merkel (CDU)	58%	59%	67%
Kurt Beck (SPD)	22%	25%	19%
Neither / Other / Not sure	20%	16%	9%

Source: Infratest-Dimap
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,500 German voters, conducted from Dec. 3 to Dec. 5, 2007. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.