As support falls, German SPD sees 'no
Plan B' to Merkel coalition
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[February 17, 2018]
By Paul Carrel
BERLIN (Reuters) - Support for Germany's
Social Democrats (SPD) hit a record low, a poll showed, and the party's
leader-in-waiting said she had "no Plan B" should members reject a
coalition deal with Angela Merkel's conservatives.
The SPD's 464,000 members vote in a postal ballot beginning on Feb. 20
on whether the center-left party should go ahead with the agreement its
leaders clinched last week to renew their power-sharing alliance with
the chancellor's CDU/CSU bloc.
"I am convinced we will get a majority," Andrea Nahles, who senior SPD
officials this week endorsed as the party's future leader, told Der
Spiegel magazine in comments published on Saturday. "I don't have a Plan
B."
Nahles made the comments after a survey conducted by pollster Infratest
dimap from Feb. 13 to 15 showed support for the SPD fell to 16 percent,
an all-time low and just one percentage point ahead of the far-right
Alternative for Germany (AfD).
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The SPD has slid further into disarray since its leaders struck the
coalition deal, blighted by bitter divisions over whether to team up
again with Merkel, a loss of confidence in outgoing leader Martin Schulz
and discontent over the succession process.
"The past days were very difficult, that is true, and that is reflected
in such numbers," said Nahles. "But I am very hopeful we can that we can
now start moving forward."
The turmoil in the SPD has led to calls from some politicians in
Merkel's conservative bloc to drop the coalition plan and form a
minority government instead.
On Tuesday, the SPD appointed Hamburg mayor Olaf Scholz as interim
leader and recommended Nahles as Schulz's longer-term successor.
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![](../images/021718pics/news_s37.jpg)
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer and
Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz pose after a
statement on coalition talks to form a new coalition government in
Berlin, Germany, February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
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Nahles has campaigned for a re-run of the coalition that has been in
power since 2013, and last month helped secure party delegates'
backing for the negotiations with a barnstorming speech.
But the result of the members ballot, due on March 4, is wide open.
Many in the party harbor misgivings about sharing power with Merkel,
believing the party should rebuild in opposition after suffering its
worst result in last September's election since Germany became a
federal republic in 1949.
An influential member of Merkel's conservative bloc said on Friday
she should form a minority government, arguing the Social Democrats
would not be a reliable partner.
The Infratest dimap poll for broadcaster ARD put support for
Merkel's conservative bloc at 33 percent, with the ecological Greens
on 13 percent, the radical Left party as on 11 percent and the
business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) on 9 percent.
(Writing by Paul Carrel; editing by John Stonestreet)
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