Over Half of Germans Disapprove of Merkel's Handling of Migrant Crisis

More than half of all Germans are unsatisfied with Chancellor Angela Merkel's handling of the migration crisis, the television channel ZDF revealed on Friday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — A majority of German respondents (52 percent) labeled the chancellor's effort to resolve Europe's and Germany's current migration crisis as "more bad than good," the broadcaster's ZDF-Politbarometer weekly telephone survey results published on its website showed.

Less than a half (43 percent) of the 1,262 people surveyed between November 10 and 12 believe Merkel's work had been more good than bad. Only 19 percent of those polled answered in the affirmative to a question on whether the migrant crisis should cost Merkel her post.

Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere was rated higher, with 45 percent of respondents approving of the way he handled migrant crisis, while 34 percent disapproved. The minister has been calling for the migrant influx to be reduced  by tightening the country's current migration rules, showing a rift between Merkel and her government, Der Spiegel reported Monday.

A 79 percent-strong majority of respondents agreed with the principle of refugee applications being reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with 63 percent in favor of family reunions for refugees.

Over 800,000 migrants have arrived to Europe by sea so far in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Speaking at the Balkan refugee summit on October 25, Merkel stated that Germany expects up to a million refugees in 2015.