(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Germany continue to express support for the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU), according to a poll by Forsa released by Stern and RTL. 35 per cent of respondents would vote for the conservative parties in the next election to the Federal Diet, down one point since late May.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is second with 20 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke) with 15 per cent, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 14 per cent, and the Green Party (Grune) with 11 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.

After the 1998 federal election, the coalition government formed by the SPD and the Greens agreed to gradually phase-out nuclear energy in Germany. In 2001, an agreement established a limit of 32 years to the operational lives of Germany’s atomic reactors, but deferred any immediate closures

On Jun. 9, Merkel said the decision of former chancellor and SPD leader Gerhard Schroeder to phase out nuclear energy by 2021 was "absolutely wrong." This is the first time Merkel expresses clear support for re-developing Germany’s nuclear power production.

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: Interviews with 2,501 German adults, conducted from Jun. 2 to Jun. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

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