German chancellor’s conservative party plunges in poll amid scandals

A new poll shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party has plummeted to its lowest ranking in seven months following a recent tax evasion scandal as the country’s general election draws near.

According to an opinion poll conducted by the Emnid institute and published by the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag on Sunday, support for Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their partner party in the state of Bavaria, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has slashed three percent from 40 percent recorded a week earlier.

“There have been a range of events recently that have shattered peoples’ trust in the economic elites,” said Emnid chief Klaus-Peter Schoeppner.

Last month, Bayern Munich soccer manager Uli Hoeness, voluntarily reported himself to officials in a tax evasion investigation. The probe amounted to widespread criticism of Merkel’s government over its lenient policy on tax frauds.

In addition, the CSU regional parliamentary floor leader also stepped down late in April, admitting that he had used state funds to pay his wife a hefty salary for working for him, a legal loophole Bavarian lawmakers had used for years.

National elections in Germany are set for September 22, when nearly 600 members are to be elected for the federal parliament.

Merkel’s ruling alliance has lost a number of state elections in recent months.

Germany is on the tip of falling into recession after reports of weakened economy and growing gap between the rich and poor.

The German Economy Ministry has reportedly predicted that for 2013 the economic growth would most likely be 0.4 percent, which is less than half of the 1.0 percent forecasted by the government.