In mid-March, Merkel’s Christian Democrats were in a virtual dead heat with center-left Social Democrats (SPD), with each group garnering just over 30 percent in the polls. As of Sunday, Merkel’s party was 12 percentage points ahead of the SPD at 38 percent in the latest poll by Emnid, a German polling institute.
Her secret? Stay the course. In an era when many politicians are driven by the latest approval ratings, Merkel’s almost stubborn refusal to change direction has set her apart. Though Merkel is known to be a close watcher of polls, she uses them to identify the long-term direction, rather than daily strategies. [...]
With the refugee crisis seemingly under control, in Germany at least, the party that most benefited from it — the far-right Alternative for Germany — has seen its support drop. While the AfD’s troubles have been exacerbated by extremist comments by some of its leaders and party infighting, falling refugee numbers have all but robbed it of its core cause.
No comments:
Post a Comment