Record low satisfaction with German left-wing government

Published 2 November 2024 at 08.27

Foreign. A majority of Germans are calling for new elections as a result of growing dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's left-liberal coalition government, according to a recent opinion poll by the country's semi-official news agency ARD.

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The survey published on Thursday evening shows that 54 percent of respondents want to see new elections, while only 41 percent want the government to continue until the next scheduled election, set for September 2025.

Only 14 percent of Germans are satisfied with the government's work, which means a drop of as much as five percentage points since the beginning of October.

According to the survey, 85 percent of those questioned express dissatisfaction with the government's performance, especially in terms of economic and financial matters.

Sharp disagreements between two of the coalition partners – the Greens and the left-liberal FDP – have led to protracted budget negotiations and delays in important political decisions.

The Greens want to burn more tax money on climate measures and increased social benefits, while the FDP advocates a slightly smaller ambitious reform agenda.

If elections were held this Sunday, the coalition parties would have difficulty retaining power. Chancellor Scholz's social democratic party SPD remains at 16 percent support, while the Greens have fallen to 11 percent.

FDP, the government's smallest partner, is below the critical five percent barrier in the country's parliament.

The opposition receives the most support in the survey, with the Christian Democrats CDU/CSU receiving 34 percent support, while the conservative Alternative for Germany (AFD) reaches a voter support of 17 percent and is thus the country's second largest party.

Unlike, for example, The Sweden Democrats and the AFD are not willing to compromise on the demand for reduced immigration in order to be part of a government basis, and it is therefore unlikely that the CDU/CSU would govern with the support of the AFD in particular.