Poll: Support for German Social Democrats dips after new leader vote

The latest Trend Barometer for broadcasters RTL and n-tv published on Monday and carried out by pollsters Forsa found that only 17 per cent of voters would opt for the SPD if an election were held this week.

The figure was one percentage point lower than the previous week’s poll, and 3.5 points behind the party’s showing in September’s elections, the worst result for the SPD since the foundation of modern Germany in 1949.

A poll for national broadcaster ZDF on Friday saw the party’s support rise by one point, from 19 to 20 per cent.

Nahles was elected as party leader at a special conference on April 22 with 66.3 per cent of the votes cast; she has pledged a wide-reaching renewal of the party.

Forsa’s poll also revealed that Nahles would have little chance of becoming Germany’s second female chancellor: Only 13 per cent of voters would pick her if there were a direct election for chancellor, compared to 49 per cent for incumbent Angela Merkel.

Support for all the other parties elected to the Bundestag in September remained unchanged from last week’s Forsa poll: Merkel’s conservative bloc 34 per cent (32.9 per cent at September’s election); the free-market liberal FDP 9 per cent (10.7), Greens 13 per cent (8.9), the hard-left Die Linke 10 per cent (9.2), right-wing Alternative for Germany 12 per cent (12.6).

A total of 2,507 people were polled between April 23 and 27.

Source: adp