BERLIN, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives has dropped below 30 percent for the first time in more than six years.
A weekly poll conducted by German census organization Forsa had Merkel's conservatives at 29 percent, and the Social Democrats, the partner in Merkel's grand coalition government, at 30 percent.
When the conservatives last were below the 30-percent hurdle, they had been embattled by a party money laundering scandal that led to the ousting of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. It is also the first time since 2002 that the Social Democrats have surpassed the conservatives.
Observers say the drop in popularity is due to an inability to deliver on promised reforms, such as the pledge to modernize Germany's ailing health care system.
For the past weeks, the government parties have bickered over the look of the health care reform, a row that has undermined the position of Health Minister Ulla Schmidt and caused the opposition to fire attacks that have undermined the stability of the government.
Her conservatives also were among the parties blamed for the rise of the neo-Nazi NPD party in a recent state election.
The poll, which surveyed 2,499 persons, gave a margin of error of +/- 2.5 points.
