MOSCOW (Sputnik) — European Parliament’s former chief took over SPD leadership late last month after Sigmar Gabriel stood down to pursue a diplomatic career. Several opinion polls have since put Schulz ahead of Merkel.
Monday’s INSA poll also showed SPD leap by one percent ahead of the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU.
"The question is whether this will be a flash in the pan or a lasting trend … The fact that Martin Schulz is a clean slate in terms of domestic politics has also played a role. We need to wait and see what stance he takes on every single political issue," Bosbach, of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU), said in a Thursday interview.
Bosbach confirmed Merkel, with her unmatchable reputation, would remain CDU’s preferred candidate for chancellorship and questioned Schulz’s readiness to go for a three-way coalition between the SPD, the Greens and the far-left Linke party on the federal level.
