Majority of Germans against Greece staying in euro, poll finds
A majority of Germans no longer support cash-strapped Greece staying in the eurozone, according to a poll published Friday, revealing a near 20-point jump from the start of the year.
Fifty-one percent of those asked said they were opposed to Greece, currently locked in a months-long stalemate with its creditors over its debt, still using the single currency, according to the poll for ZDF public television.
Only 41 percent said they wanted Athens to remain in the eurozone, the Politbarometer survey showed.
Around six months ago, 55 percent of Germans voiced support for Greece staying in the eurozone, while one in three were against.
But Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has said she wants to keep Greece in the euro fold, remains personally popular and her conservatives are far ahead of the other parties.
Some 41 percent of voters would back Merkel’s conservative bloc if elections were held Sunday, the poll showed, followed by 25 percent for her junior coalition partners, the Social Democratic Party.
The survey was conducted between June 9 and 11 among 1,230 people by telephone.
[AFP]
