BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Less than a month before federal elections in Germany, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is looking to become the strongest political party in the country.
After a much anticipated television debate of potential chancellor candidates on Sunday, the SPD was up 7 percentage points compared to one month ago and was polled at 25-percent support if the elections were held now, according to a survey of around 1,300 participants conducted by opinion research institute Infratest dimap.
The governing conservative union (CDU/CSU) lost 7 percentage points and now has 20-percent support. The Green Party came in third with 16 percent, down 3 percentage points compared to one month ago. The survey was conducted over the three days following the debate.
Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz of the SPD was the only chancellor candidate of the country's three biggest parties to see his approval ratings grow. According to the survey, 43 percent of Germans would directly vote for him as chancellor, 2 percentage points higher than a month ago.
Only 16 percent of German voters trusted Armin Laschet of the CDU to succeed Angela Merkel, who is leaving politics after 16 years as chancellor. The popular vote for Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock remained at 12 percent.
