Merkel Bloc Gains for Second Week in Poll With Greens Retreating

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing party bloc gained for a second week in a poll ahead of Germany’s election in September, while the Green party retreated.

Support for Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc rose 1 percentage point to 26% in the weekly Insa poll for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. The Greens slipped for a third consecutive week to 21%, compared with a near-record 24% in early May when Insa had the party tied with Merkel’s CDU-CSU bloc.

The rise of the Greens since the last parliamentary election in 2017, along with poll declines for the CDU-CSU and its Social Democratic coalition partner, has led to speculation of a Green-led government emerging in Europe’s biggest economy after the Sept. 26 election.

Merkel, 66, isn’t seeking a fifth term as chancellor after 16 years in office, helping to open the door to new party constellations for the federal government.

The Social Democrats polled third at 17%, with the pro-business Free Democrats and the nationalist Alternative for Germany polling 12% each, and the anti-capitalist Left party at 6%.

No margin of error was give for the May 31-June 4 poll of 1,380 people.

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