Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) has slipped while the opposition has gained ground, a survey released Wednesday showed as the nation's political parties gear up this year's election.
The survey, drawn by Berlin-based pollster Forsa, showed support for the CDU slipping 2 per cent over the last week to 40 per cent while the opposition Social Democrats and Greens increased their combined vote to the same level.
The poll also showed Merkel's coalition partner, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), remaining below the 5-per-cent threshold needed to gain entry into German parliaments.
This comes after the FDP recently found itself at the centre of a debate about sexism in public life in Germany.
The debate followed allegations that the party's standardbearer Rainer Bruederle for the national election, expected in September, made unwelcome remarks to a 29-year woman journalist at a party function 12 months ago.
The release of the latest Forsa poll, which was prepared for the weekly Stern magazine and the private broadcaster RTL, also came after the CDU and FDP suffered a major setback in an election in the state of Lower Saxony earlier this month.
Boosted by their success in toppling the CDU-FDP government in Lower Saxony, the SPD recorded a 2-per-cent increase in support while the Greens gained 1 per cent. Their combined vote stood at 37 per cent last week.
The Forsa poll is particularly good news for the SPD, which suffered a sharp drop in support in recent years following a series of gaffes by its Chancellor-candidate Peer Steinbrueck.
The Forsa poll showed the radical leftwing Linke Party again holding 8 per cent of the vote and the internet advocacy movement, the Pirates, falling further below the key 5-per-cent mark to just 3 per cent.
This would rule the Pirates out of holding seats in the national parliament.