With only five months to go before Germany’s September 24th national election, the race for the chancellorship is proving to be a heated one as Angela Merkel fights for a fourth term. Her policies towards the refugee crisis plaguing Europe has led to a massive loss of support over the last year, and while she is holding onto a slight lead against center-left Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Martin Schulz, it is the support of Germany’s younger generation that is giving her approval.
“young people are looking for stability and continuity”
In a poll released by the Forsa Institute on Tuesday, voters among the ages of 18 to 21 are throwing their support behind Merkel with 47 percent saying “yes” to a fourth term, while only 29 percent are found favoring Schulz. Among the wider voter base, Merkel still holds a lead with support at 43 percent versus the 32 percent support for Schultz, but the gap between both candidates is much smaller.
“Young people know Chancellor Merkel, with whom they grew up,” Manfred Guellner, the Forsa Institute head said in conjunction with the latest poll release. “young people are looking for stability and continuity in these uncertain times.”
