BERLIN, November 10. /TASS/. Only 18% of Germans would support Friedrich Merz’s (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) nomination for his second term as chancellor at the next election in 2029, a survey conducted by the Forsa pollster at the request of the N-TV and RTL TV channels indicates.

According to the poll results, only 18% of respondents said that they would support Merz’s nomination while 16% said they would recommend the conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) to nominate Merz again. This result indicates that 74% of those polled would prefer to see another CDU/CSU candidate.

Notably, CDU/CSU supporters split nearly by half over Merz’s potential nomination, with 44% supporting the incumbent chancellor and 43% opting for another candidate.

Merz will turn 70 on November 11 to become Germany’s second oldest chancellor after Konrad Adenauer who stepped down in 1963 at the age of 87. When asked whether it one can perform the duties of the chancellor at such an age, 45% of respondent answered in the affirmative while 52% said that a younger chancellor would be more preferable.

The poll was conducted on November 6 and 7 among 1,002 respondents.

The Bundestag elected Merz as chancellor in a historic second-round vote - an unprecedented event in German history - on May 6. The last elections on February 23 resulted in the fall of the ruling "traffic light coalition", which had collapsed last November over disagreements on budget and financial policies, including further aid to Kiev. In that vote, the CDU/CSU emerged victorious with 28.5%, while the AfD achieved a historic second-place finish with 20.8%. The SPD trailed with 16.4%, followed by the Greens at 11.6% and the Left Party at 8.8%.