The chances of Anegla Merkel serving the full four years are becoming increasingly slim, even though she may be poised to enter her fourth term as German Chancellor, according to her far-right challengers the AfD.
When Germany heads to the polls on September 24, gaining an almost 50 percent lead on her closest competitors, the incumbent leader and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party are expected to enjoy an easy slide to victory. However, her efforts to stay the course, would be undermined by dissatisfaction with public policy and European Union frustrations, founding member of the AfD, Frank-Christian Hansel, said.
While the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfG) are forecast 25 percent and 10 percent respectively, the CDU and its sister Christian Social Union (CSU) party gaining 37 percent, a notable lead on the second- and third-largest parties, shows the latest INSA poll released Tuesday. Still, in order to gain a parliamentary majority, the CDU will have to form a coalition.
While insisting that Merkel's efforts to appease all voters are unsustainable amid rising European pressures, Hansel said: "The problems are getting so big with the migration crisis etc. that this next government will not be in power for the full four years."
Merkel has struggled in recent years to strike an appropriate response to divisive issues such as the EU migrant crisis even though, since taking to the helm of the party in 2005, she has attempted to broaden the appeal of the center-right CDU.
More than a million migrants have been taken in by Germany since 2015. And at the start of the year, more than a million migrants, this issue threatened to be the leader's undoing. And hence by telling crowds at a rally on Monday "of course we can't allow a year like 2015 to recur every year”, she has sought to address this in her re-election campaign. But her pledges were met by AfD supporters chanting "Merkel out" and "immigration needs clear rules."
"The CDU will have to ask itself whether it is with the bourgeoisie or on the more liberal side. It can't be both," he argued.
As it is set to enter post-war parliament for the first time, the far-right on the rise.
Five percent minimum voter threshold needed to enter into parliament would be won by the AfD, polling suggests.
Since the end of World War II, this will be the first time that a populist right-wing party has done so well. The right-wing parties counts a number of right-wing extremists among its members. The party was launched just in 2013 and this poll expectations marks a sudden rise in popularity for the party.
Seeking to align itself with other conservative members of parliament, it may hope to capitalize on this new position in parliament, even though the Eurosceptic, anti-immigration party is unlikely to form part of a coalition government. However, the AfD's arrival will likely prompt the CDU to shift its stance in order to suppress the AfD's influence, according to Josef Janning, head of the Berlin office and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
"AfD presence will contribute to moves among CDU and CSU to better cover their conservative wing," Janning said on Tuesday. "The CDU, which has moved to the center with Merkel effectively occupying ground formerly held by conservative SPD, will likely move to the right."
Despite the symbolism of a far-right party entering into Germany's post-war parliament, its influence in overall decision making will be limited given the resistance to the AfD from opposition parties, agreed David Lea, senior analyst for Western Europe at Control Risks.
"Entering as a minority party outside of any coalition, the AfD will not be that influential and will remain very much on the fringe," Lea told CNBC over the phone Tuesday.
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
When Germany heads to the polls on September 24, gaining an almost 50 percent lead on her closest competitors, the incumbent leader and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party are expected to enjoy an easy slide to victory. However, her efforts to stay the course, would be undermined by dissatisfaction with public policy and European Union frustrations, founding member of the AfD, Frank-Christian Hansel, said.
While the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfG) are forecast 25 percent and 10 percent respectively, the CDU and its sister Christian Social Union (CSU) party gaining 37 percent, a notable lead on the second- and third-largest parties, shows the latest INSA poll released Tuesday. Still, in order to gain a parliamentary majority, the CDU will have to form a coalition.
While insisting that Merkel's efforts to appease all voters are unsustainable amid rising European pressures, Hansel said: "The problems are getting so big with the migration crisis etc. that this next government will not be in power for the full four years."
Merkel has struggled in recent years to strike an appropriate response to divisive issues such as the EU migrant crisis even though, since taking to the helm of the party in 2005, she has attempted to broaden the appeal of the center-right CDU.
More than a million migrants have been taken in by Germany since 2015. And at the start of the year, more than a million migrants, this issue threatened to be the leader's undoing. And hence by telling crowds at a rally on Monday "of course we can't allow a year like 2015 to recur every year”, she has sought to address this in her re-election campaign. But her pledges were met by AfD supporters chanting "Merkel out" and "immigration needs clear rules."
"The CDU will have to ask itself whether it is with the bourgeoisie or on the more liberal side. It can't be both," he argued.
As it is set to enter post-war parliament for the first time, the far-right on the rise.
Five percent minimum voter threshold needed to enter into parliament would be won by the AfD, polling suggests.
Since the end of World War II, this will be the first time that a populist right-wing party has done so well. The right-wing parties counts a number of right-wing extremists among its members. The party was launched just in 2013 and this poll expectations marks a sudden rise in popularity for the party.
Seeking to align itself with other conservative members of parliament, it may hope to capitalize on this new position in parliament, even though the Eurosceptic, anti-immigration party is unlikely to form part of a coalition government. However, the AfD's arrival will likely prompt the CDU to shift its stance in order to suppress the AfD's influence, according to Josef Janning, head of the Berlin office and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
"AfD presence will contribute to moves among CDU and CSU to better cover their conservative wing," Janning said on Tuesday. "The CDU, which has moved to the center with Merkel effectively occupying ground formerly held by conservative SPD, will likely move to the right."
Despite the symbolism of a far-right party entering into Germany's post-war parliament, its influence in overall decision making will be limited given the resistance to the AfD from opposition parties, agreed David Lea, senior analyst for Western Europe at Control Risks.
"Entering as a minority party outside of any coalition, the AfD will not be that influential and will remain very much on the fringe," Lea told CNBC over the phone Tuesday.
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
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