FRANKFURT, Germany, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Despite removing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder from his position as party head, the German Social Democrats continue to lose popularity.
A poll released Wednesday by a German institute shows Schroeder's party receiving an approval rating of only 24.2 percent, down slightly from 25.3 percent in January, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports.
Only 19.3 percent of East Germans approved of the Social Democrats' work.
According to the Allensbach Institute for Polling, which conducted the poll, Social Democratic reform proposals are at the heart of the party's controversial status. Changes in party leadership have not altered the party's strong association with Schroeder's Agenda 2010 to overhaul Germany's economy and social services.
Only 12 percent of poll respondents said they support Schroeder's political path.
German Christian Democrats, the Social Democrats main rivals, were ahead in the poll, reaching 47.8 percent approval, up from 46.9 percent in January.
The poll shows approval for the German Green Party, the Social Democrats' coalition partner, down slightly to 10.4 percent.
