MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Only 36 percent believe that the Social Democratic Party nominee will become a chancellor following the upcoming parliamentary election, the poll conducted by the Emnid-Institut for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed.
24 February 2017, 15:03 GMT
Regarding the parties' support rates, the SPD had reportedly lost 1 percent and was now neck and neck with Merkel's CDU/CSU with 32 percent of popular support, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany party with 9 percent.
The poll was conducted on February 16-22 and involved 1,900 respondents.
Earlier this month, polls forecast a victory for the former European Parliament president, if the election took place in February. Schulz was nominated on January 29, after former SPD leader, current Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel decided not to run for chancellorship.
The parliamentary election in Germany will take place on September 24, 2017.
