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09/16/2009

Germany's two main parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) of her challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier, have seen support increase in the first opinion poll to be released since Sunday's televised debate between the two candidates ahead of the Sept. 27 election.

The poll by the Forsa institute conducted on Monday, Sept. 14, showed the conservatives up two points to 37 percent from last week and the SPD up three points to 24 percent.

Forsa director Manfred Güllner said the one-on-one debate had focused voters' attention on the two main parties, and that support for the smaller parties had dropped as a result.

Small Parties Lose Ground

The pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) fell to 12 percent, its lowest level since the start of 2009, and the Left Party fell four points to 10 percent. The Greens gained one point to 11 percent.

With many voters still undecided, the poll leaves it unclear whether the conservatives -- comprised of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) -- and their preferred partner, the FDP, would have enough support to form a coalition. Their combined support stands at 49 percent.

"The Left Party appears to have made drastic losses because Steinmeier focused strongly on social justice in the debate," Güllner told Stern magazine in an interview released ahead of publication in Thursday's edition. Forsa conducted the poll among 1,008 people for the RTL television network and the weekly magazine.

Asked who they would elect if the candidates were directly elected rather than their parties, 56 percent said they would vote for Merkel, up three points from last week. A total of 24 percent said they would vote for Steinmeier, up four points.