The news just keeps getting worse for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). A new Forsa Trend Barometer poll published on Saturday shows the SPD slipping another percentage point since last week, down to 11%. It is the party's worst result since 1949.

The SPD, a junior coalition partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has drifted further into disarray since its leader Andrea Nahles stepped down two weeks ago after embarrassing defeats in EU and regional elections.

The CDU also remained at a record-low 24% approval rating in this week's Forsa poll.

Future of the coalition in jeopardy?

Many in the SPD feel it would be better to quit the coalition and rebuild in the opposition. The party is currently being headed by a trio of leaders and is in the process of finding a replacement for Nahles.

Her departure has fueled speculation over the future of the federal coalition, with many prophesying its collapse and Merkel's departure. The chancellor has brushed off such talk and vowed to serve out her term, which ends in 2021. The coalition parties will hold a midterm review this fall.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Stephan Weil, premier of Lower Saxony The 60-year-old leads a coalition of the SPD and the Christian Democrats in his northern state. In the Bundesrat — the council of Germany's 16 states and upper house of parliament — he serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and is deputy chairman of the Committee on European Affairs. Many in the SPD have long seen him as a possible new hope to lead the party forward.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Manuela Schwesig, premier of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Schwesig, born and raised in the former East Germany, is the first woman to lead the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The 45-year-old previously served as minister of family affairs under Chancellor Angela Merkel, a role she used to push for equal opportunities for women and better state childcare facilities. She serves on the Bundesrat's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Olaf Scholz, finance minister and vice chancellor Scholz, 60, is seen by some of his fellow party members as a technocrat and is considered to belong to the SPD's conservative wing. As finance minister under Merkel, he has been committed to curbing public spending and keeping a lid on new debt. He also served as federal minister of labor and social affairs in Merkel's Cabinet from 2007 to 2009.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Malu Dreyer, premier of Rhineland-Palatinate A reasonably popular figure in the SPD, Dreyer was voted in as deputy party chairwoman in 2017 with 97.5% backing. Despite repeatedly stating she would not want to leave her western state for Berlin, she is still seen as a possible replacement for Nahles. The 58-year-old has served as premier of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2013 and is the first woman to hold the office.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Rolf Mützenich The 59-year-old Bundestag member from Cologne is one of the deputy chairs of the SPD's parliamentary group. In that role, he is responsible for foreign affairs, defense and human rights policy. He is well respected within the party and could be tapped as interim SPD leader in the Bundestag.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Achim Post, SPD leader in North Rhine-Westphalia The 60-year-old sociologist leads the SPD in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. He is a deputy chair of the SPD's parliamentary group, overseeing budgetary affairs, finance and Europe. As secretary-general of the Party of European Socialists, he is also considered well connected at the European level.

Who could take over as head of Germany's Social Democrats? Martin Schulz, ex-SPD leader The former president of the European Parliament has been suggested as another possible challenger. The 63-year-old ran as the SPD's candidate for chancellor in 2017 but lost to Merkel. He subsequently stepped down as SPD leader. He has already said he doesn't want the job back, but Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported last week that he was keen to lead the SPD parliamentary group.



Greens still on top

The big winner this week was the environmentalist Green Party, which remains at 27%. Trailing the Greens and the CDU was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 13%, having added a point. The business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP) was up one point at 9% and the Left Party remained at 8%.

Forsa polls are conducted weekly for broadcasters RTL and n-tv. The institute polled 2,001 voters between June 11 and June 14. The polls have a margin of error of 2.5%.

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js/sms (dpa, Reuters)

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