THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Two-thirds of supporters of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) back forming a coalition government with Angela Merkel’s conservatives, an opinion poll published on Friday shows.
The poll conducted by Kantar Emnid for the Funke group of regional newspapers showed that 66 percent want a “grand coalition” and only 30 percent favour new elections, while 78 percent of supporters of the conservatives back the coalition.
In a postal ballot starting on 20 February, the SPD’s 464,000 members will be asked to approve a four-year government programme that party leaders clinched last week.
The results of the vote will be announced on 4 March. If the deal is rejected, Germany would most likely hold a new election.
The poll also showed that 49 percent of Germans want Merkel to serve another full four-year term as chancellor, while 44 percent want her to hand over to a successor before then.
Almost three-quarters of supporters of her conservatives want her to serve a full term, while 86 percent of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) want her to step down early.
Many within the SPD harbour 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.
Merkel is also facing discontent with the deal among conservatives who feel her concessions to the SPD went too far.
Early this week she rejected suggestions that rising criticism among conservatives of her decision to cede the finance ministry to her rivals was a sign that her authority was waning.
Reuters
