독일 Green Party's Declining Support... Baerbok's Bonus Report Omission Controversy

Annalena Baerbock Prime Minister Candidate [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Bloomberg reported on the 30th (local time) that the German Green Party's approval rating has fallen for two consecutive weeks, signaling a red light for their victory in the September 26 general election. The ruling Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) coalition's party approval rating has risen to its highest level since the election campaign began.

According to the weekly poll commissioned by German Bild from the polling firm Insa, the CDU/CSU coalition's approval rating increased by 1 percentage point from the previous week to 25%. Meanwhile, the Green Party's approval rating dropped to 22%.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is forming a coalition government with the CDU/CSU, saw its approval rating fall by 1 percentage point to 16%. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) maintained its approval rating at 13%, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) remained steady at 12%, and The Left Party's approval rating rose by 1 percentage point to 7%.

The Green Party's approval rating has been declining recently amid controversies surrounding its leader and chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock.

Baerbock became embroiled in controversy after receiving a €25,000 bonus from the party and failing to report it to the parliament. After the issue arose, Baerbock admitted she forgot to report the bonus and acknowledged the omission.

Following the controversy over the unreported bonus, Baerbock's approval rating dropped sharply in the Bild poll conducted on the 23rd. When asked who they would vote for if the election were held immediately, 20% of respondents said they would vote for Baerbock, a 4 percentage point decrease from the previous week. Compared to a poll conducted a month ago, her approval rating fell by about 10%.

Social Democratic candidate Olaf Scholz ranked second with 18% support, and CDU/CSU candidate Armin Laschet came in third with 15%. One-third of respondents said they would not vote for any of the three candidates.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.