Support for Germany's opposition Social Democrats (SPD) has jumped since their victory in a regional election, a new poll has shown, highlighting the increased domestic pressure on chancellor Angela Merkel as she battles the euro zone crisis.
The Insa survey, published by Bild newspaper today, put the centre-left SPD on 32 per cent, up three percentage points in just one week. Ms Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) were just ahead on 33 per cent, down one percentage point.
Also worryingly for Ms Merkel, her Free Democrat coalition partners were at 4 per cent, below the 5 per cent threshold required to gain seats in parliament, while the SPD's favoured coalition partner, the Greens, stood at 14 per cent.
Earlier this month the CDU suffered a humiliating defeat at SPD hands in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), where it saw its support tumble to 26 per cent from 35 per cent in 2010.
The result prompted Ms Merkel, who hopes to win a third term in national elections due in September 2013, to sack her environment minister after he led a poor election campaign.
The SPD's advances, along with socialist Francois Hollande's victory in France's presidential election this month, have emboldened the party to take a more confrontational approach at a time when Ms Merkel needs their support to push the EU "fiscal compact" through the German parliament.
Ms Merkel, under pressure from Mr Hollande and some other European leaders abroad to ease up on tough austerity policies to tackle the euro debt crisis, is also trying to resolve embarrassing conflicts within her centre-right coalition over childcare subsidies and data protection.
The Insa poll, conducted over the last few days, also showed the maverick new Pirate Party winning 8 per cent and the Left party 6 per cent.
Reuters