Merkel and Berlusconi enjoy strong domestic support

Some key numbers from the latest ComRes survey of European opinion:

• French Right set to increase number of MEPs: "While confidence in Sarkozy among the French public is low, the party appears set to outpace the Socialist Party in June. In 2004, then President Chirac’s UMP polled a humiliating 17% of the vot e with the Socialists polling 12% ahead of them at 29%". Overall, however, 37% of French voters are satisfied with President Sarkozy's performance but 62% are dissatisfied.
• Merkel on course to break free of grand coalition: "Angela Merkel’s coaliti on “government in waiting” which brings together the Christian Democrats/Christian Social Union and Free Democ ratic Party continues to be in robust form. Their combined 48% vote share should be enough to guarantee Merkel the seats required to secure another four years in office without the need for an uncomfortable
  ‘grand coalition’."
• Hungary's Socialist government 31% behind Civic Union rival: Election may be held earlier than next year.
• 40% of the people of troubled Iceland would like to join the EU, 45% would not.
• 46% of Irish set to vote yes in  second Lisbon vote, 27% no.
• 51% of Swedes oppose joining the Euro, 45% support doing so.
• Berlusconi's Right-of-centre coalition has 22% lead over Italy's Left. Berlusconi recently brought Italy's main centre right parties together. 
• Spain's centre left government has a 2% lead over the centre right opposition.

Click Download Pollwatch Euro Apr09pdf for a PDF of the full ComRes briefing.

Click here for last month's briefing.

If you would like to subscribe to ComRes' European Opinion Briefing please email [email protected].

The state of European opinion

ComRes have begun to circulate a very interesting guide to public opinion across Europe.  Here are some of the learnings from ComRes' latest email:

• The Czech EU Presidency has produced an opinion poll boost for Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek’s coalition government.
• Denmark is split on joining the Euro.
• 55% of the French public profess to have “no confidence” in President Nicolas Sarkozy.
• "With less than eight months until voters go to the polls, Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU party leads their centre-left SPD coalition partner by eleven percentage points. Crucially for the CDU/CSU coalition, their preferred coalition partners the Free Democratic Party are polling at record high of 18% - enough to guarantee Merkel the seats required to secure another four years in office without the need for an uncomfortable ‘grand coalition’."
• "After rejecting the first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty by a 54% to 46% margin, support for the Treaty among Irish voters now stands at 58%."
• Swedish "Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s centre-right coalition government which has held office since 2006 is trailing Social Democrat opposition leader Mona Sahlin’s centre-left coalition by seven percentage points (52% to 45%)."

Download a PDF of the whole paper.

If you would like to receive these updates direct to you please email [email protected]