Germany
German SPD has support to lead three-way coalition - INSA poll

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) speaks during the weekly German cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, August 4, 2021. Kay Nietfeld/Pool via REUTERS
Rising support has drawn Germany's Social Democrats level with the Greens and suggests their popular chancellor candidate could lead a three-way coalition government after a 26 September federal election, an opinion poll showed on Sunday (8 August), writes Paul Carrel, Reuters.
The INSA poll for Bild am Sonntag put support for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at 18%, pointing for the first time in this year's election campaign to a majority for a three-way coalition led by the left-leaning party.
The Greens were also at 18%, and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) at 12%, the poll showed.
Together, the three would have 48% support and a majority for a "traffic light" coalition, so-called after their respective colours, as support for other parties totalled 8%. Parties must surpass a 5% threshold to win seats in parliament.
The poll put support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives at 26%. The far-right AfD was at 11% and the leftist Linke at 7%. Merkel, in power since 2005, plans to stand down after the election.
Armin Laschet, the conservative candidate to succeed Merkel as chancellor, has suffered a slump in support after he was seen laughing on a visit to a flood-stricken town. The SPD has gone on the attack, scenting a chance to win. Read more.
The INSA poll showed that in a hypothetical direct vote for chancellor, the SPD's candidate Olaf Scholz was well ahead, with 27% support - a five point gain from the previous week.
Laschet languished on 14%, one point ahead of the Greens' candidate, Annalena Baerbock, on 13%.
The Greens presented an "emergency climate protection programme" on Tuesday, aiming to reset their national election campaign after a raft of mistakes squandered their early surge in opinion polls. Read more.
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