BONN - A clear majority of German voters hope Chancellor Kohl will not be elected for a record fifth term in next year's general election, but expect it to happen anyway, according to an opinion poll released yesterday.
Dr Kohl (67) last week put an end to months of speculation by announcing that he planned to run again in the election, due in September or October 1998.
The poll, by Infratest Burke Berlin, released ahead of publication in today's weekly Die Zeit, said 57 per cent of Germans did not want Dr Kohl re-elected, but 59 per cent believed he would win. Some 63 per cent saw Dr Kohl as the strongest leadership figure, followed by Lower Saxony premier Mr Gerhard Schroder of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD), with 20 per cent, and SPD chairman Mr Oskar Lafontaine, with 7 per cent.
