Dip in Popularity
January 12, 2008
Two surveys showed that support for the conservatives had dipped, just two weeks before elections take place in the states of Hessen and Lower Saxony, widely regarded as tests of Merkel's popularity before a federal election in 2009.
The Infratest-dimap and Forsa surveys both showed Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), dropping single points. Infratest stated that the conservatives were down one point at 39 percent while backing for their Social Democrat (SPD) rivals was up two points at 30 percent.
Forsa also showed a one point decrease in popularity, putting the conservatives on a standing of 37 percent compared to a one-point gain for the SPD, whose support had been dwindling for months.
Some observers claimed that the dip was an initial reaction to the plans put forward by Hessen Premier Roland Koch and that it was unlikely to have a long-term effect of the campaigns of Koch and fellow CDU incumbent Christian Wulff in Lower Saxony. Others said that the surveys signalled a potential defeat in each state election for the conservatives.
Merkel admits coalition is badly split
Meanwhile Chancellor Merkel admitted in an interview with the Die Welt newspaper published on Saturday that Germany's ruling coalition was split over proposals by her party to crack down on juvenile offenders.
"The issue has caused a massive clash between the (Christian Democratic) Union and the Social Democrats," Merkel said, adding that while parties believed there was a need to get tough with young criminals, the CDU wanted new legal tools to do so in contrast to the SPD which believed existing laws were sufficient.
"The CDU believes that apart from consistently implementing the existing measures, we also need tougher laws on some points. The SPD says 'no', this is not necessary," she said.
Merkel has backed the plans by Koch, which include boot camps and short periods of detention for young offenders, faster deportation procedures for foreign perpetrators and harder sentences for young criminals.
"I think 'warning-shot arrests' (short periods in detention) and boot camps could indeed be a sensible supplement to current laws," she said.
Youth crime plan leads to xenophobia accusations
Koch's proposals to sharpen his law-and-order image ahead of the state poll have angered immigrant groups who accuse him of populism and xenophobia, and politicians from the opposition who claim he is attempting to profit from incidents in which teenage children of immigrants had attacked older Germans on public transport.
Merkel, who has in recent months tried to steer her party to the political centre, has rejected the accusations as "absurd".
In the Die Welt interview, she stood firm on the need to take youth offenders in hand. "We must look at the needs of society as a whole and cannot allow a minority of German or foreign youths to infringe on our freedom -- the freedom to go to the theatre or cinema or to visit friends after nightfall."
The row took a nasty turn on Friday when the leader of the SPD's parliamentary group, Peter Struck, attacked Koch. "I think Roland Koch was pleased when this terrible incident took place in Munich," said Peter Struck, the leader of the SPD in parliament. When Merkel's party called on Struck to apologize, he angrily replied: "They can get lost."