Conservative CDU/CSU stabilise top position among German parties as Greens falter
Der Spiegel
The German conservative CDU/CSU alliance has stabilised its position as the country's most popular party again, relegating the Green Party firmly to the second place, according to a survey commissioned by news magazine Der Spiegel. Roughly three months before the election at the end of September, 29 percent of respondents said they would be voting for the conservative alliance, whereas the Greens would receive 22 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats (SPD) come in third with 17 percent, followed by the pro-business FDP with 12 percent. Nine percent said they would be voting for the right-wing populist AfD and six percent for the Left Party. Nearly half (45 percent) of respondents said that environmental and climate policy are determining factors in their decision, followed by jobs and growth (39%), domestic security (30%) and health (29%).
After briefly becoming the country's leading party in several polls earlier this year, the Greens under their top candidate Annalena Baerbock have suffered a series of setbacks in recent months. At the same time, the CDU/CSU alliance of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel under their top candidate Armin Laschet has regained ground lost in a string of lobbying and corruption affairs and perceived policy mistakes in the context of the pandemic management.
