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Germany’s SPD extends lead over CDU/CSU as Greens lose ground: poll

With just three weeks to go until the federal election, Germany's Social Democrats are extending their lead against the conservative CDU/CSU party union whose support has hit a fresh historic low.

Published: 5 September 2021 09:45 CEST
Germany's SPD extends lead over CDU/CSU as Greens lose ground: poll
(L-R) The candidate for Chancellor of Germany's social democratic SPD party Olaf Scholz; the candidate for Chancellor of Germany's Greens Annalena Baerbock and the candidate for Chancellor of Germany's conservative CDU/CSU party union Armin Laschet Germany's 'eternal chancellor' Angela Merkel will leave office after general elections scheduled for September 26th, 2021. John MACDOUGALL, Ina FASSBENDER, Daniel ROLAND / AFP

Support for the SPD has gained a percentage point in the last week and now stands at 25 percent, according to the latest INSA poll published by Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.

The CDU and CSU with Armin Laschet as their candidate for chancellor achieved 20 percent in total, down one percentage point on last week and another historic low, according to Bild.

The Greens – with chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock – lost one percentage point to 16 percent, followed by the FDP in fourth place, unchanged at 13 percent.

Several other polls also showed the SPD above the CDU/CSU, significantly so in some cases.

According to television station ZDF’s political barometer – published Friday – the Social Democrats stood at 25 percent and the Union at 22 percent, German paper Die Welt reported.

And the below chart from Wahlrecht.de shows what the outcome would have been had the election been this Sunday, according to various recent polls, including the INSA one published by Bild.

The SPD is ahead of the CDU-CSU in all of the five most recent polls (highlighted in pink).

Laschet, the 60-year-old leader of Merkel’s CDU-CSU alliance had gone into the election race with a comfortable lead over his rivals from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens.

But several missteps in the last weeks have left his popularity in the doldrums and support for his party slipping just as Merkel is due to bow out of politics after 16 years as German leader. 

Currently state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Laschet saw the tide turn against him during the deadly floods that struck western Germany in mid-July.

Caught on camera chuckling behind in the background with local officials while Germany’s president gave a speech mourning victims of deadly floods, Laschet has since been unable to halt a falling trend in popularity.

READ ALSO: German chancellor candidate Laschet sparks anger with flood zone laughter

READ ALSO: Gaffe-prone Merkel heir with big shoes to fill

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POLITICS

Scholz calls on coalition to ‘pull ourselves together’

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called on his fractious governing coalition to "pull ourselves together" following a dismal showing in EU parliament elections last week.

Published: 16 June 2024 08:38 CEST
Scholz calls on coalition to 'pull ourselves together'

In power since the end of 2021, the three parties in government — Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP — have been at loggerheads on a wide range of issues including climate measures and budget spending.

“I think that this is one of the entirely justified criticisms of many citizens, namely that there is too much debate” within the coalition, Scholz told German television channel ZDF on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

“We need to pull ourselves together and stick together to reach agreements,” he added.

“The people have the right to demand that things change,” Scholz told public broadcaster ARD.

The three parties in the coalition suffered a severe defeat in the European elections, with the SPD achieving its worst result in a national election since 1949.

Subsequently, Scholz has faced mounting criticism within his own party.

On Saturday, however, Scholz told ZDF and ARD that he was “sure” that he would be the SPD’s next candidate for the chancellorship in the parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2025.

In the very short term, a new test awaits the coalition, which must reach an agreement on the 2025 budget by the beginning of July.

The FDP’s finance minister is opposed to any exceptions to the rules limiting debt and to any tax increases.

On the other hand, the SPD and the Greens are opposed to cuts in social welfare or climate protection.

The debate is also focused on increasing the resources allocated to the German army.

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