CDU Retains Healthy Polling Lead Despite Laschet's Flood Gaffe

The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) retains its healthy opinion polling lead in the latest release from Infratest dimap, despite a gaffe from the party's chancellor candidate amidst the devastating floods that hit west and north-west Germany last week.

• Germany, Infratest dimap poll: CDU/CSU: 29% (+1), Green: 19% (-1), Social Democrats (SPD): 16% (+1), Free Democrats (FDP): 12% (+1), Alternative for Germany (AfD): 10% (-1), Die Linke: 6% (-1). +/- vs. 28-30 June 2021. Fieldwork: 20-21 July 2021. Sample size: 1,188
• On a visit to the affected area in his role as Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Laschet was caught on camera laughing and joking while in the foreground German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered a sombre assessment of the flooding. However, it seems that this has had little impact on the public's voting choices.
• The environmentalist Greens' chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock continue to struggle to gain momentum after accusations of plagarism in a new book she has released.
• The slump in support for the Greens makes the prospect of a coalition not involving the CDU increasingly unlikely, with Laschet in pole position at present to take over from incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel after the September election.