Final Countdown: Who's Leading in Polls Ahead of German Federal Elections?

© REUTERS / Tobias SchwarzCandidates for the general election Alice Weidel, AfD, Christian Lindner, FDP, Markus Soeder, CSU, Armin Laschet, CDU, Annalena Baerbock, Greens, Olaf Scholz, SPD, and Janine Wissler, Die Linke, attend a final televised debate ahead of the election in Berlin, Germany September 23, 2021
Candidates for the general election Alice Weidel, AfD, Christian Lindner, FDP,  Markus Soeder, CSU, Armin Laschet, CDU, Annalena Baerbock, Greens, Olaf Scholz, SPD, and Janine Wissler,  Die Linke,   attend a final televised debate ahead of the election in Berlin, Germany September 23, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.09.2021
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The latest opinion polls have revealed that Germany's Social Democratic Party retains a slim lead over outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, just a few days before the country's federal elections.
Germany will vote in federal elections on 26 September, after which a federal chancellor is due to be announced to replace incumbent Angela Merkel. Announcing a new chancellor may take time due to possible coalition negotiations between several parties to form a new government following elections that may see no party obtain an overwhelming majority.

Opinion Polls' Forecast for Political Parties

A new survey conducted by the pollsters Forsa and INSA indicated that 25% of respondents support Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is followed by the ruling conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) with 22%.
Around 17% of people expressed support for the left-wing Greens, with about 11% for each of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), and The Left, according to the poll.
All of the parties need to obtain at least 5% of the vote or three constituency seats to win representation in the lower house of the German Parliament, also known as the Bundestag.

Candidates for Chancellor

According to the latest INSA poll, 31% of Germans would like to see Finance Minister and SPD candidate Olaf Scholz become the country's new chancellor.
CDU Chairman and Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet along with co-chairman of the Greens Annalena Baerbock have just 12% of respondents' support each, the poll revealed.
With Scholz apparently looking like the favourite in the race, the 9 September searches in the German Finance Ministry over its alleged involvement in fraud and money laundering may, however, affect the outcome of the election.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the opening of the largest exhibition on the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer in Germany, September 9, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 09.09.2021
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The low level of Laschet's popularity is the result of his numerous political setbacks, such as his sudden laughter during President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's speech about the victims of the devastating floods in western Germany in mid-July, as well as a standoff with the Greens.
Baerbock, for her part, apparently lost almost any chance of winning the elections this past spring due to mistakes in compiling her own biography, an income that was not declared in time, and plagiarism pertaining to her new book "Now. How We Renew Our Country".

Many Voters Undecided on Their Choice of Party

With time already winding down on the 26 September elections, about 40 percent of German voters have yet to decide on their party of choice, according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Sociological Research in Allensbach in collaboration with the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Thomas Gschwend, a political scientist from the University of Mannheim, told Deutsche Welle that the results are only natural given that outgoing Chancellor Merkel "does not participate in the elections".

"The three rather than the two parties are competing for the post of chancellor, and it remains unclear what the coalition government will be. Therefore, I understand why voters have more difficulties when it comes to voting", he asserted.

Postal Voting in Place

Up to 60% of voters may be involved in voting by mail, which kicked off on 16 August and which is being held among some 60.4 million Germans over the age of 18 who are eligible to vote.
Postal votes will be counted together with those cast at polling stations on 26 September. Preliminary results are due to be announced after 6:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. Moscow time).
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