Merkel Most Popular Politician in Germany After Ruling 14 Years
Merkel remains Germany’s most popular politician, an opinion poll showed.
(Bloomberg) --
Chancellor Angela Merkel has boosted her approval rating and, after more than 14 years in office, remains Germany’s most popular politician, an opinion poll showed.
The 65-year-old former physicist, had a 53% approval rating in January, up six points from a month earlier, according to a poll by ARD television. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeded Merkel as head of their Christian Democratic Union party just over a year ago, garnered only 23%.
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Paradoxically, uncertainty surrounding Merkel’s succession seems to have boosted her image as a steady hand in times of renewed turmoil, particularly in the Middle East. Last year Merkel faced an economic slowdown at home, wide-spread protests demanding tougher climate action, and tension within her coalition that threatened to bring her government down.
The daughter of a Lutheran priest, Merkel has said that she aims to finish her term ending in 2021 and that she will not stand for office again.
The poll interviewed as many as 1,506 people by phone on Jan.7 and Jan. 8, and has a margin of error of up to 3.1 percentage points.
To contact the reporter on this story: Raymond Colitt in Berlin at rcolitt@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Iain Rogers
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