Merkel's conservatives make big poll gains in midst of coronavirus crisis

[webfact]

Merkel's conservatives make big poll gains in midst of coronavirus crisis

 

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a news conference after discussing with German state premiers on whether to prolong or phase-out the lockdown to combat COVID-19 at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, April 15, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Munich. Bernd von Jutrczenka/Pool via REUTERS

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc has won support during the coronavirus crisis, hitting its highest level in nearly three years, a poll showed on Thursday.

 

Merkel's cautious approach during the emergency appears to have reaped rewards, as a relatively early shutdown of schools, many factories and shops has had some effect and Europe's biggest economy has announced small steps towards a relaxation.

 

The DeutschlandTrend poll for ARD television put Merkel's CDU and its Bavarian CSU sister party on 38%, up 3 points from two weeks ago and its highest level since August 2017, just before the last federal election.

 

The environmentalist Greens were second on 19% but lost 3 points and fell below 20% for the first time in just over a year. Having profited from climate fears in the last 18 months, the party has sunk into the background in the pandemic.

 

The Social Democrats (SPD), who share power in Merkel's right-left coalition, were up 1 point at 17% while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the official parliamentary opposition, was down 1 point at 9%.

 

Merkel's CDU has postponed a leadership contest due to the coronavirus and is now unlikely to pick a new chair before December, outgoing chair Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said this week.

 

The new CDU leader will be a favourite to stand as chancellor in the next federal election, due by Oct. 2021, as Merkel has said she will not seek a fifth term. However, the CSU also has a say and it may prefer to put forward their leader, Markus Soeder, as the chancellor candidate.

 

A poll last month showed that Soeder, who has introduced tough measures to limit social contact in his state during the pandemic, was Germany's most popular politican, an unusual situation for a Bavarian.

 

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers, Editing by William Maclean)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-17

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[schlog]

This poll idicates that the stupidity of most german Michels is unlimited.

[UbonThani]

0/10 that woman.

[nobodysfriend]

Like her politics or not , she is an intelligent woman ( physician ) .

That already is something that cannot be said about many other ' leaders ' ...

[Tom89]

4 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Like her politics or not , she is an intelligent woman ( physician ) .

That already is something that cannot be said about many other ' leaders ' ...

I thought she was a physicist not physician.

[Eric Loh]

Really a pattern that show that leaders that prepared and managed the pandemic well and keep the infections and deaths low are rewarded by surge in poll gains. Similarly in South Korea where the President got a massive election gain or in New Zealand where popularity of the Prime Minister shot up. Contrasting with the failures in US and the low performance  ratings of Trump on how he handled the pandemic will put his re-election in jeopardy. 

[Chomper Higgot]

Hardly surprising under the circumstances that people choose leadership over slogans. 

 

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

4 hours ago, UbonThani said:

0/10 that woman.

Did you read the OP?

[Jonnapat]

Like her or not, Ms Merkel has dealt with extremely difficult circumstances with calm authority and decisiveness, unlike certain other leaders of countries that dillied and dallied and left action far too late as exemplified in death rates which could have been much less. 

[Eric Loh]

14 minutes ago, Jonnapat said:

Like her or not, Ms Merkel has dealt with extremely difficult circumstances with calm authority and decisiveness, unlike certain other leaders of countries that dillied and dallied and left action far too late as exemplified in death rates which could have been much less. 

She is good in a crisis by being straight even if unpleasant or not making you feel better. She also set example like going into self isolation after coming into contact with an infected doctor. Not interested in distraction like playing blame games. Focus and dedicated. Pity she will step down next year. 

[Thomas J]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Merkel's conservatives

Merkel's conservatives.  Is that like Giant Shrimp an oxymoron

[sawadee1947]

It's a pity that Britain doesn't have such a leader with knowledge and honesty. 

But obviously they got the left over, a clown on his ego trip ????

[Saint Nick]

I am not at all a fan of hers or her party!

But she surprised me over the years and now I think, she is probably the best chancelor since Helmut Schmidt!

[Muzzique]

3 hours ago, Tom89 said:

I thought she was a physicist not physician.

She has a PhD in Quantum Chemistry. She is was a researcher before being a politician so she understood that testing was the key to successfully controlling CV19. That why they started setting up the process in early January. By Feb all hospital had CV19 testing centres, 50,000 private labs had test equipment and 4 million tests kits had been manufactured. Every week they manufacture 1.5 million test kits for other countries.

 

I'm a Brit in Germany and I have already 2 CV19 tests linked to routine hospital visits. Just to make sure I don't have it before I go to see my consultant. Takes about 10 mins and everyone entering the hospital has it done so infected people without symptoms don't accidentally bring it in. That's outside of the aggressive tracing process they have for positive tests.

 

Give the Germans their due. They already had a solid plan in place for a pandemic, and just pushed the button and it immediately went in to action.

 

Its a pity the UK governments only plan was to spout BS for 4 weeks then make try to PPE out of bin bags and designer raincoats while holding up pics of Winston Churchill.

 

As for the USA? We can only sit and watch as it sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss led by its Alzheimic Captain, Donald Pugwash.

[Tom89]

3 minutes ago, Muzzique said:

I'm a Brit in Germany and I have already 2 CV19 tests linked to routine hospital visits. Just to make sure I don't have it before I go to see my consultant. Takes about 10 mins and everyone entering the hospital has it done so infected people without symptoms don't accidentally bring it in. That's outside of the aggressive tracing process they have for positive tests.

 

Give the Germans their due. They already had a solid plan in place for a pandemic, and just pushed the button and it immediately went in to action.

 

Thanks, very interesting. I was wondering how the Germans had managed to keep their mortality rate low.

[Baerboxer]

On 4/17/2020 at 1:09 PM, sawadee1947 said:

It's a pity that Britain doesn't have such a leader with knowledge and honesty. 

But obviously they got the left over, a clown on his ego trip ????

 

Yes, then we could have enjoyed throwing open the gates to all economic illegal migrants too!

 

Merkel, the former youth communist leader turned "conservative". What a marvelous example of honesty!

[The Barmbeker]

3 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes, then we could have enjoyed throwing open the gates to all economic illegal migrants too!

 

Merkel, the former youth communist leader turned "conservative". What a marvelous example of honesty!

If you had any idea, what you are talking about, you would not marvel at that development at all!

But you haven't - so you do!

[sawadee1947]

8 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes, then we could have enjoyed throwing open the gates to all economic illegal migrants too!

 

Merkel, the former youth communist leader turned "conservative". What a marvelous example of honesty!

I'm shocked to be honest that someone is making such nonsense and selfish thoughts public. 

Shame on you. 

[samran]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes, then we could have enjoyed throwing open the gates to all economic illegal migrants too!

 

Merkel, the former youth communist leader turned "conservative". What a marvelous example of honesty!

Your post makes no sense at all. There wasn’t much option politics wise when she grew up if you wanted progress your career. 
 

Now she isn’t inhibited by that.