September 15, 2005

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - The Christian-Democratic Union (CSU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) have been unable to garner more support days before German voters renew their Federal Diet, according to a poll by Emnid released by N24 television. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for the alliance in this Sunday's election.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The Christian-Democratic Union (CSU) and the Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU) have been unable to garner more support days before German voters renew their Federal Diet, according to a poll by Emnid released by N24 television. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for the alliance in this Sunday's election.

The governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) of chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is second with 33.5 per cent, followed by the Left Party (Linke)—which merges the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Electoral Alternative for Labour and Social Justice (WASG)—with eight per cent, the Green Party (Grune) with seven per cent, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 6.5 per cent.

On Jul. 1, Schroeder deliberately lost a no-confidence motion in the Federal Diet after a 151-296 vote, with 148 abstentions. A federal election has been scheduled for Sept. 18. The CDU has named Angela Merkel as its chancellor candidate. Germany has never had a female head of government.

The FDP is considered as the most likely coalition partner for the CDU-CSU alliance. Support for the combined political organizations is at 48.5 per cent, while the prospective total for the SPD, Grune and Linke is also 48.5 per cent. The prospect of a federal administration encompassing the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats—referred to as the "Grand Coalition"—has been thoroughly discussed in the media. In 1966, the CDU's Kurt Georg Kiesinger governed with the support of the SPD.

On Sept. 13, Grune chairman Reinhard Buetikofer urged voters to support his party, saying, "I'm issuing a warning. (...) With Merkel in the chancellor's office, social progress and a sensible policy on climate change will be obstructed."

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in the next federal election?

	Sept. 12	Sept. 5	Aug. 29
Christian-Democratic Union Bavarian Christian-Social (CDU-CSU)	42%	42%	42%
Social Democratic Party (SPD)	33.5%	32%	30%
Left Party (Linke)	8%	9%	10%
Green Party (Grune)	7%	7%	7%
Free Democratic Party (FDP)	6.5%	7%	7%

Source: Emnid / N24
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 2,000 German voters, conducted from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12, 2005. No margin of error was provided.