German Greens hit record poll high

German Greens hit record poll high
by Staff Writers
Berlin (AFP) April 6, 2011
The Green party in Germany is enjoying record support in the country, a new poll showed Wednesday, buoyed by a fierce debate over the future of nuclear power in Europe's top economy.

The ecologist party soared to 28 percent in the survey, conducted by independent pollsters Forsa for Stern magazine, a gain of seven percentage points.

According to Forsa, the Greens are now Germany's strongest opposition party, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), who polled 23 percent, a drop of two points from the previous survey.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives are on 30 percent, the poll showed, losing three percentage points, with her embattled coalition partners, the Free Democrats (FDP) hitting new lows at three percent.

If the results were replicated in a federal election, Merkel's coalition would be far behind a union of SDP and the Greens and Germany would have its first Green chancellor.

German Greens hit record poll high