German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Angela Merkel leaves the stage in front of a huge CDU logo after her speech at a party congress on Dec 7, 2018 in Hamburg, northern Germany. (JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP)
Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party bloc declined in a poll that suggested momentum for the Social Democrats and their candidate, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc, which comprises the CDU and the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union, declined 1 percentage point to 26 percent, while the Social Democrats gained 1 point to draw level with the Greens at 18 percent each
The weekly Insa poll hints at the challenge faced by Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, who’s running to replace her after the Sept 26 federal election. Scholz is the most popular candidate for chancellor and widened his lead over Laschet in the approval ratings, according to Bild am Sonntag, which commissions the poll.
This week’s numbers suggest an emerging coalition option of a Social Democrat-led government with the Green party and the pro-business Free Democrats as partners, according to the newspaper.
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Merkel’s bloc, which comprises the CDU and the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union, declined 1 percentage point to 26 percent, while the Social Democrats gained 1 point to draw level with the Greens at 18 percent each. The FDP fell 1 point to 12 percent.
If replicated on election day, the combined 48 percent support for the SPD, Greens and FDP would give the three parties a potential parliamentary majority to elect the next chancellor, Bild am Sonntag reported.
READ MORE: Merkel bloc’s advantage narrows in German election poll
Merkel, 67, isn’t running for a fifth term after 16 years at the helm of the government of Europe’s biggest economy. Laschet, 60, has drawn criticism for his response to flooding that killed at least 170 people in western Germany in July.
