Berlin Upheaval
Just as Armin Laschet, the leader of Germany's conservatives, won the nomination to lead his party into September's election, a fresh poll suggested that the bloc is quickly losing its dominance of German politics. The Forsa poll released by broadcaster RTL last night showed Merkel and Laschet's CDU party slump 7 points to 21%, while the Greens gained 5 points to 28%. With a coalition of CDU and Greens seen as the most likely outcome in fall, the Greens' Annalena Baerbock may well succeed Merkel as chancellor, ending more than 15 years of center-right leadership in Germany. A separate question in RTL's poll identifies Baerbock as Germans' preferred candidate for the post, with 32% of respondents' support compared to Laschet's 15%.