Merkel's party dips in poll but still way ahead before Sunday vote

[BERLIN] Angela Merkel's conservatives dropped one percentage point in a poll released on Thursday, three days before a German election in which the chancellor is expected to win a fourth term, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained two points.

The GMS poll put Ms Merkel's bloc on 37 per cent with her main opponent, the Social Democrats (SDP), unchanged on 22 per cent.

The AfD, poised to enter the Bundestag lower house for the first time, rose to 10 per cent with the pro-business Free Democrats and radical Left both on 9 percent and Greens on 8 per cent.

Adding an element of uncertainty, however, the poll put the number of non-voters or undecideds at 34 per cent, higher than the 29 per cent who did not vote in the last election four years ago.

REUTERS