Home Politics Germany’s grand coalition approval ratings fall to record low: poll

Support for Germany’s grand coalition between Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc and the Social Democrats has fallen to an all-time low, according to Bild am Sonntag.

The ruling Christian Democrats and their Bavarian counterparts, the Christian Social Union, saw their approval rating fall one percentage point, to 29 percent, while support for the Social Democrats dropped by two percentage points, to 17 percent, according to a new poll published by the German paper. The parties’ combined 46 percent marks a record low for the coalition, which has held power for much of the last decade.

Merkel’s government has suffered a series of political setbacks, including an ongoing fight over migration policy and a spate of violent far-right protests in Chemnitz, a city in Eastern Germany, after a man was stabbed to death allegedly by two immigrants.

The poll — based on opinions of 2,472 German voters between August 30 and September 5 — found support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) remained unchanged at 15 percent. The far-left party Die Linke saw a boost of 1 percentage point, polling at 10 percent.

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