Germany Expected To Retain Influence In Europe, Globally After Merkel's Departure - Poll

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2021) Most Germans say that Chancellor Angela Merkel's departure from office this fall will not decrease the country's clout in Europe and worldwide, a poll published Thursday by the Koerber Foundation found.

Kantar Public's Berlin Pulse 2021 survey of over 1,000 adults in Germany in May showed that 58% of Germans looked ahead to the September 26 elections with certainty that Germany will remain a political heavyweight.

That number grew by 10 percentage points among Germans aged 18 to 34. Only 36% of those polled said they feared that Germany would lose some of its influence, while 6% gave no definitive answer.

Germans remain split on who of the three chancellor candidates has more foreign policy prowess. A third of those sampled were uncertain, while 29% pointed to Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, 23% to conservative party leader Armin Laschet and 13% to Greens leader Annalena Baerbock.