German Green Party Surpasses CDU/CSU to Become Top-Ranked Party in Support Ratings

by Park Pyunghee

Published 26 Apr.2021 14:26(KST)

Green Party Candidate Bae Eobok Leads Prime Minister Preference with 30% Support
SPD's Scholz at 20%... Ruling CDU-CSU Union's Laschet at 18%

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] According to Bloomberg News on the 25th (local time), Germany's opposition Green Party has surpassed the ruling Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union (CDU-CSU) alliance to become the number one party in approval ratings. The likelihood of the current ruling CDU-CSU coalition losing power has increased. In a survey asking about support for the next chancellor candidate, the Green Party's Annalena Baerbock also ranked first.

In a weekly poll conducted by the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, commissioned to the German polling institute Kantar, the Green Party's approval rating rose 6 percentage points from the previous week to 28%. This is the highest party approval rating recorded by the Green Party in Kantar's polls. Meanwhile, the CDU-CSU alliance's party approval rating fell 2 percentage points to 27%, ceding the top spot to the Green Party.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD), the coalition partner of the CDU-CSU alliance, dropped to its lowest approval rating since August 2019. The SPD's approval rating fell 2 percentage points to 13%.

Bild cited INSA's poll results, reporting that in the next chancellor candidate preference survey, the Green Party's Baerbock also ranked first.

In the three-way race among Baerbock, CDU-CSU candidate Armin Laschet, and SPD candidate Olaf Scholz, Baerbock led with 30% support. Scholz came in second with 20%, while the ruling party candidate Laschet trailed in third with 18% support.

This poll result is notable as it is the first conducted after the parties ranked first and second in party support, the CDU-CSU alliance and the Green Party, finalized their chancellor candidates. The Green Party and CDU-CSU confirmed Baerbock and Laschet as their respective chancellor candidates on the 19th and 20th, respectively. The SPD had already confirmed Scholz, the current Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister, as their chancellor candidate last August.