Berlin: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the new leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is more popular with the public than her rivals Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn, according to a survey released on Sunday.
According to the survey by the polling institute YouGov on behalf of dpa, Kramp-Karrenbauer has the backing of 26 per cent of Germans, and 39 per cent of supporters of the CDU and its conservative Bavarianallies, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
Merz and Spahn garnered support from 22 per cent and 4 per cent of CDU/CSU supporters respectively, whereas 18 per cent said they supported neither.
When the question was put to the general public, 29 per cent said they were unhappy with all of the prospective candidates, and 25 per cent said they were undecided.
Supporters of the opposition parties were more divided on who should lead the CDU/CSU in the next general elections in 2021: supporters of the Greens overwhelmingly were in favour of Kramp-Karrenbauer at 46 per cent, with only 4 per cent favouring Merz.
Voters of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), on the other hand, clearly said they would support Merz as the bloc’s chancellor candidate.
Merkel handed over the chairmanship of her CDU party at the beginning of December after 18 years at the helm, and was replaced by Kramp-Karrenbauer.
— dpa
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