The popularity rating of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party has plummeted to below 30 percent.
A poll conducted by the German publication n-tv asked readers their opinions on Merkel’s party; the results reveal that it's had an approval rating under 30 percent for four successive weeks.
The radical right-wing Alternative for Germany has emerged as the most popular party in the east of the country, overtaking Angela Merkel’s conservatives before finely balanced elections https://t.co/lWKxH95MOh
— The Times of London (@thetimes) April 23, 2019
No more than 28 percent of the publication’s readers would vote for Merkel’s party.
The Green party garnered 19 percent in the poll, followed by the Social Democrats and the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which both obtained 13 points.
A further 23 percent of respondents were undecided.
The timing of the noticeable slump coincides with the election of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as the CDU's new leader in December, the party’s approval rating was previously 36 percent.
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Another n-tv poll showed that 21 percent of Germans expressed trust in the Chancellor when it came to dealing with problems in Berlin, which is a drop of four percentage points since January, when the same question was asked.
Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Juncker, who is set to leave his job as EC President on 31 October, has praised the German Chancellor, dubbing Angela Merkel an “endearing work of art” and predicting a bright future for her in the EU leadership.
In an interview for Germany's Funke Media Group, Juncker said:
"I cannot imagine Angela Merkel disappearing into the thin air. She is not only a respected person, but an endearing work of art," he said.
Mr Juncker‘s comments have since fuelled speculation Merkel may enter EU politics after her time as Chancellor is up.
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Last October the veteran Chancellor announced that she would gradually withdraw from politics and her current fourth term will be her last, with Conservative party head Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer viewed as the main contender for the chancellorship.
In December 2018, Merkel stepped down as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, vacating the post for her long-time ally Kramp-Karrenbauer, stating that she will not run for re-election for the country’s top job.Since then, there has been speculation about her shifting to Brussels, although she has claimed that she does not plan to continue her career in any political office.
