Recent polling data indicates a divided public perception of German Bundestag President Julia Klöckner’s impartiality. A survey conducted by Forsa on behalf of “Stern” magazine and RTL Deutschland, between August 21st and 22nd, revealed that 45% of Germans believe Klöckner is not conducting herself in a non-partisan manner in her role. Conversely, 31% perceive her conduct as impartial, while a further 24% remain undecided.
The findings come amidst scrutiny regarding Klöckner’s associations with businessman Frank Gotthardt, who financially supports the online news portal “Nius”. Klöckner recently drew attention for a speech in which she reportedly drew comparisons between “Nius” and the daily newspaper “taz”.
Partisan divisions are prominent in the assessment of Klöckner’s performance. Supporters of the CDU/CSU are largely positive, with 53% believing she is acting in a non-partisan capacity. However, voters of other major parties are significantly more critical. Negative assessments are prevalent amongst SPD supporters (46%), as well as voters of the AfD (57%), the Green Party (61%) and particularly those of the Left Party (64%).
The survey was conducted via telephone interviews with a representative sample of 1,001 respondents.
